Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 18h

Good news: fossil fuels have plateaued and solar is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide

apnews.com/article/clim...

Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says

A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year.

apnews.com

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digby @digby56.bsky.social · 18h

They claim the right to stop anyone and demand their papers based solely on the discretion of masked, cos-playing thugs who've decided you "look scared" or are "gripping the steering wheel tightly."

Miller is telling us, "Brown people today, the rest of you tomorrow." Listen to his words.

Trump Watch @trumpwat.ch · 1d

Border Patrol's Gregory Bovino: "We need reasonable suspicion to make an immigration arrest. Notice I did not say probable cause, nor did I say I need a warrant? Perhaps you look panicked when you see a Border Patrol agent. Perhaps you look scared ..."

So they scare people and then can arrest them.

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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 19h

Our authoritarianism is run on clichés borrowed from the Eastern Europe of twenty years ago. Paid protestors, disloyal cities, evil Soros, vast conspiracies — it was all tiresome then and there, and now it’s pathetic.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

Trump: "They're, like, insurrectionists, they're terrible people. But you really wonder why. Why are they doing it? What are they gaining? Other than they're obviously paid. They're paid a lot of money."

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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 18h

One of the basic points in my new Dispatch piece on the right to record immigration raids and raiders is that ICE agents are already informally “enforcing” their disapproval of at-the-scene recording by roughing up journalists, freelance photographers, and others with cellphone cameras. /1

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 1d

New from me at The Dispatch: DHS says it's illegal to videotape ICE agents. That's not what the courts say. @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social

DHS Says Videotaping ICE Agents Is Illegal. Federal Courts Disagree.

Filming law enforcement serves important goals central to a free republic.

thedispatch.com

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Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 18h

Even apart from the rank lawlessness of a reprisal prosecution, this has to be about the lousiest case I've ever seen. If it gets to trial, US will get its head handed to it.

Prosecutors Warned Main Comey Witness Would Doom Entire Case newrepublic.com/post/201467/... via @newrepublic.com

Prosecutors Warned Main Comey Witness Would Doom Entire Case

There’s a reason federal prosecutors didn’t want this indictment to happen.

newrepublic.com

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Memento (Spooky) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 18h

I am wearing my Monster Mash shirt in the gym because Monster is the Reason for the Season after all

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 18h

Temporary Restraining Order to be granted tomorrow in the Chicago case filed by journalists, pastors, and others hit with riot control munitions by ICE!

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 20h

Ellis rules that the plaintiffs have standing for their case. She cites the "ongoing and sustained record of conduct" by federal agents gathered over the last month.

She further finds the plaintiffs have plausibly shown feds have "frustrated" efforts to "protect journalist safety."

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Staṡa M 🦖 🇵🇸 @stasam.bsky.social · 18h

isportlandburning.com#cameras

Is Portland Burning?

No. See real-time Portland cameras, PulsePoint incidents, and sourced fact checks.

isportlandburning.com

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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 3d

I understand this. Please tell me you do, too.

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Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social · 3d

After years of wearing special contact lenses to deal with my keratoconus, I told my eye doctor I wanted to go ahead with a corneal transplant. He agreed and we scheduled it for a few weeks later. Simple as that. If I can get my corneas swapped out without a fuss, transitioning should be a breeze.

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Corinne Green @ket.bsky.social · 3d

there's always someone who needs to read this so i am doing my traditional linking of @nataliereed84.bsky.social's "the null hypothecis" when gatekeeping is on the tl:
freethoughtblogs.com/nataliereed/...

After all, surely if we’re going to risk so much, put so much at stake, in such a monumental “decision”, we should approach it carefully, and make sure to be certain, right? Shouldn’t we be looking for proof that we’re trans before gambling our whole lives on that being the case?

Well, maybe… if proof of being trans was even really something possible, beyond the simple proof of subjectively experiencing your identity and gender as such. But more importantly: we never ask ourselves for “proof” that we’re cis.

Cis is treated as the null hypothesis. It doesn’t require any evidence. It’s just the assumed given. All suspects are presumed cisgender until proven guilty of transsexuality in a court of painful self-exploration. But this isn’t a viable, logical, “skeptical” way to approach the situation. In fact it’s not a case of a hypothesis being weighed against a null hypothesis (like “there’s a flying teapot orbiting the Earth” vs. “there is no flying teapot orbiting the Earth”), it is simply two competing hypotheses. Two hypotheses that should be held to equal standards and their likelihood weighed against one another.

And of course the entire gatekeeping procedure is an extreme externalization of this entrenched cisnormativity, the assumption that cis is so incredibly “normal” that it’s the null hypothesis, that the burden of proof falls entirely on the hypothesis that the patient is trans, that she must meet a number of strict criteria before her claims to her gender identity will be accepted as true. At no point in the conventional gatekeeping model is the doctor ever expected to provide any evidence proving the contrary position, that the patient is really cis. And if a doctor or therapist suggests some possible theory for why a cis patient would become “duped” into believing himself transgender, again the burden of proof falls to the patient to falsify their assertion rather than for them to falsify her’s.

This whole idea that your subjective identity can’t be legitimate unless you’re somehow able to back it up with objective evidence is a pretty awful situation to be put in, especially when you’re inflicting it on yourself, given how any “proof” of being trans is entirely dependent on subjective experience. What proves that you’re trans is only to understand yourself as trans. When dealing with gatekeepers and family and the numerous external forces that would deny us our identities, it’s not such a crippling situation, because at least we know, and we are the proof, and beyond that it’s simply a matter of figuring out what they think would count as “proof” and what exactly they need to see or hear to believe you (if anything). But when imposing this situation on yourself, when the only possible actual certainty is in accepting and understanding yourself as trans, but you refuse to accept and understand yourself as such until you have that certainty… you’ve created an impossible situation for yourself.

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⚡🧟‍♀️ MAD DOCTOR IMPOSSIBLE!! 🧟‍♀️⚡ @impossiblephd.bsky.social · 3d

Honestly, I'd go a step or two further--gatekeeping our care was always intended, from the very first moment, to artificially reduce the number of trans people.

Which is a sanitized way of saying "to kill us."

Anyone who wants to bring it back doesn't understand history or is just plain monstrous.

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Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 3d

The logic of severe gatekeeping is inseparable from pervasive violence.

You don't gatekeep that much unless you think of transitioning as a last resort, something terrible that we should try to avoid at all costs.

The violence and gatekeeping both share the same goal: keeping our numbers down.

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Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 3d

I say this because a lot of folks will claim they want the gatekeeping but they deplore the violence. They don't hate trans people! They just want to make sure we're *really serious* about this. (They don't have similar concerns for other semi-irreversible medical procedures.)

I don't trust them.

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Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 3d

Not long ago -- in my lifetime -- all trans people faced unspeakable violence, including state-sponsored violence, for simply existing

And self-appointed gatekeepers made it as tough as possible for a person to transition.

Anyone who wants to bring back the gatekeeping also wants the violence back

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azteclady @azteclady.bsky.social · 3d

"Colleges weigh how to react to Trump's "nice university you have there, it would be a shame if something happened to it" threat" (fixed it for you, WaPo)

John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 6d

“No self-respecting university could ever accept something like this,” said Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar and former Columbia University president. “Trying to protect conservative ideas against being ‘belittled’ — that’s about as violative of the First Amendment interests as you can get.”

Colleges weigh whether to sign onto Trump plan or forgo federal benefits

A new proposal from the Trump administration would give colleges funding advantages if they adopt conservative priorities.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Sue S @sjsbunchberry.bsky.social · 3d

If the Doctor had travelled back to early 19th century Yorkshire and gone on a caper with Anne Lister, it would explain a lot #Frauds

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Na'amod @naamoduk.bsky.social · 6d

Our hearts are with the victims and their families at this terrible time.

We are heartbroken to emerge from Yom Kippur into news of the attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester. No one should face violence for attending synagogue services and our hearts are with the victims and their families at this terrible time.
For many in our community, this news may only just be reaching you after a day spent in prayer, reflection, and fasting. To be confronted with such awfulness in this moment is particularly painful: please know that you are not alone.

In moments like this, it is vital that our communities - Jewish and non-Jewish alike hold one another close. Our safety and liberation depend on solidarity between all those who are marginalised and targeted, and we must not allow those who seek to divide us to succeed. Every person deserves to live, gather, and worship in safety and dignity. We condemn this act of violence unequivocally, and restate our commitment to building a world where this kind of horror is no longer possible.

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Staṡa M 🦖 🇵🇸 @stasam.bsky.social · 8d

FFS

Helen Kennedy @helenkennedy.bsky.social · 8d

Shot, chaser

NBC NEWS
• WATCH
EXCLUSIVE
HEALTH NEWS
The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses
As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.

Before July, the program had been tracking infections caused by six additional pathogens: campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia. Some of them can lead to severe or life-threatening illnesses, particularly for newborns and people who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems.

The word listeria is highlighted

Trader Joe's and Walmart Frozen Meals May Have Listeria Linked to Outbreak
The outbreak has killed four people and spread to 15 states, with officials linking it to frozen pasta meals sold at Walmart and Kroger.

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CZEdwards @czedwards.bsky.social · 8d

Thread, up and down, and locate and donate to your independent clinics. They are the real last defense.

Robin Marty @robinmarty.com · 9d

Abortion may be illegal in the South but that hasn't stopped us from managing to see more than 4000 patients post Dobbs. But keeping our own doors open is next to impossible and I can't keep this up forever. Especially battling crap like this.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 9d

the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 8d

Judge Young begins the meat of his opinion by praising the officers he had on the stand testifying about what they were ordered to do.

He calls them "True patriots who, in order to do their duty, have been weaponized by their highest superiors to reach foregone conclusions for most ignoble ends."

F. Inferences From the Factual Record The great paradox of this case is that the government witnesses -- to a person -- are decent, credible, dedicated nonpartisan professionals. True patriots who, in order to do their duty, have been weaponized by their highest superiors to reach foregone conclusions for most ignoble ends.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 8d

There's a footnote where Judge Young calls out the use of masks as causing fear to people in the community, and notes that ICE HSI's use of masks "appear to be a byproduct of using special agents who work was previously focused on criminals" — my frequent point about diversion of resources.

29 Even crediting this concern, whether intentional or not, images of plain-clothed, masked federal agents –- faceless agents of the federal government –- snatching a non-violent person off the streets of Boston has caused fear in citizens and non-citizens alike. While there are of course occasions when obscuring identities of agents is necessary, law enforcement in the United States has usually been performed in the open. Days after the trial, Defendant Todd Lyons stated in an interview that he is “not a proponent of the masks,” but permits mask wearing because he is concerned about agents’ safety. See Crediting the Public Officials’ assertions that the masks are not worn deliberately to instill fear, they nevertheless appear to be a byproduct of using special agents whose work was previously focused on criminal, high-risk operations in a new way, that is, to arrest noncitizens who have not been accused of violent crimes or direct association with a terrorist or other potentially violent organization; and, of course, after the first such use of masks, the Public Officials were on notice of how it might appear and of the fear it might cause, but have not disavowed their use going forward.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 8d

Judge Young: "[T]his Court finds by clear and convincing evidence that [] Kristi Noem and [] Marco Rubio ... deliberately and with purposeful aforethought" took actions "intentionally to chill the rights to freedom of speech and peacefully to assemble of the non-citizen plaintiff[s]."

Having carefully considered the entirety of the record, this Court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with the subordinate officials and agents of each of them, deliberately and with purposeful aforethought, did so concert their actions and those of their two departments intentionally to chill the rights to freedom of speech and peacefully to assemble of the non-citizen plaintiff members of the plaintiff associations. What remains after issuing this opinion is to consider what, if anything, may be done to remedy these constitutional violations.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 8d

Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"

This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court –- squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.” “No law” means “no law.” The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence. See Section III.A infra. No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and non-citizens alike.

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