Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 1d

Pete Hegseth railed against diversity and equity to his generals. As a Harvard student, he had a much different take.
From my colleagues:
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/07/m...

Pete Hegseth railed against diversity and equity to his generals. As a Harvard student, he had a much different take. - The Boston Globe

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth once described closing minority achievement gaps as a “laudable goal.”

www.bostonglobe.com

4 5 15

Reposted by Tal Kopan

Steph Machado @stephmachado.bsky.social · 2d

The biggest lament from landlords in Portland is that when a tenant leaves, they can only raise rent on the unit by 5%; they want to be able to price vacant units at market so it’s worth renovating them.

But their effort to get voters to agree was trounced in a 2023 referendum

Steph Machado @stephmachado.bsky.social · 2d

In Portland, I talked to landlords and property managers who were fed up with rent control and taking their businesses out of town. Tenants were pleased with stable rent increases, but say the city doesn’t do enough to enforce the law

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/05/m...

What could rent control look like in Providence? Portland, Maine, offers clues. - The Boston Globe

Portland has a complicated rent control system that has ratcheted up tensions between landlords and tenants.

www.bostonglobe.com

2 2

Reposted by Tal Kopan

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 2d

JUST IN: Chicago journalistsa re suing DHS and ICE over force used against reporters:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

340 5.3K 19K

Reposted by Tal Kopan

Jeff Barker @barkman42.bsky.social · 5d

'We are alive:' federal workers get hugs, validation in fraught period of shutdown and layoffs
www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/03/w...

‘We are alive:’ federal workers get hugs, validation in fraught period of shutdown and layoffs

WASHINGTON — The poem about vulnerability and persistence was hitting its mark. It could hardly have found a more appropriate audience. “We are alive and we are trying,” Drew Tye Ruby-Howe recited…

www.baltimoresun.com

4 1

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 7d

‘It’s a no-brainer’: Democrats try to re-create past Obamacare wins in fraught shutdown battle
by @sambrodey.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/01/n...

‘It’s a no-brainer’: Democrats try to re-create past Obamacare wins in fraught shutdown battle - The Boston Globe

Democrats are convinced that tapping into public concern over health care access will strengthen their hand in shutdown talks with Republicans.

www.bostonglobe.com

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 7d

For years, congressional Democrats described themselves as “the adults in the room” during government funding fights.

But this time, Democrats said, is different.

How they embraced budget brinksmanship, with @jimpuzzanghera.bsky.social

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/01/n...

Federal government shuts down for first time in nearly seven years - The Boston Globe

Democrats usually provide the votes to keep the federal government open, but aggressive actions by Trump and congressional Republicans led to a change in strategy.

www.bostonglobe.com

2 3 7

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 7d

In Vermont, a community has flooded three years in a row. Under Trump, will they receive FEMA aid?
by Julian Sorapuru

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/01/n...

In Vermont, a community has flooded three years in a row. Under Trump, will they receive FEMA aid? - The Boston Globe

After flooding for the third year in a row, a Vermont community is seeking recovery assistance from FEMA. Trump has been slow to act thus far.

www.bostonglobe.com

1

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 8d

‘The worst double-edged sword’: Despite personal pain, some federal workers see shutdown as their best option

with Julian Sorapuru & @jimpuzzanghera.bsky.social

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/30/n...

‘The worst double-edged sword’: Despite personal pain, some federal workers see shutdown as their best option - The Boston Globe

Frustrated at being pawns in a political fight, some said they want Congress to send a message to the White House that federal employees should not be ignored or disrespected.

www.bostonglobe.com

1 3

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 12d

"Russ has waited for this moment his whole life.”

As a shutdown looms, the influence of Trump’s budget director is coming into the spotlight:

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/26/n...

As shutdown looms, the influence of Trump’s budget director comes into view - The Boston Globe

Democrats have argued Russell Vought’s actions are illegal and cited them as grounds for demanding Republicans negotiate.

www.bostonglobe.com

1 8 10

Reposted by Tal Kopan

Eric Geller @ericjgeller.com · 14d

"'My main takeaway is that America is not a safe place to work,' Mr. Park said. 'I don’t think I would go there again to work.'" www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/w...

South Koreans Describe Fear and Anger After Georgia ICE Raid

Some of the workers arrested this month at a Hyundai-LG factory said that although they had entered the United States under murky circumstances, they had always planned to return home.

www.nytimes.com

30 310 940

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 15d

From @sambrodey.bsky.social
Moulton believed to be weighing 2026 primary challenge to Markey

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/23/n...

Seth Moulton believed to be weighing 2026 primary challenge to Ed Markey - The Boston Globe

The Salem Democrat has not made a final decision but is seriously looking at challenging the two-term Democratic senator, several sources told the Globe.

www.bostonglobe.com

Reposted by Tal Kopan

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 15d

If only the First Amendment talked about this

The White House
@WhiteHouse
Without borders, law and order, and religion, you don't have a country.

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

3 17 95

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 16d

In 2018, Dems won the midterms with a certain candidate archetype: suburban, college-educated, moderate women.
For 2026, are we seeing the rise of the blue-collar populist guy?
@sambrodey & @JamesPindell:
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/22/n...

Tattooed, tough, and running: Democrats’ new 2026 strategy - The Boston Globe

Now, back in the political wilderness again, some Democrats believe a different type of candidate could be the answer for their 2026 hopes: a blue-collar populist guy.

www.bostonglobe.com

2 1

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 16d

Tattooed, tough, and running: Democrats’ new 2026 strategy
by @sambrodey & @JamesPindell
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/22/n...

Tattooed, tough, and running: Democrats’ new 2026 strategy - The Boston Globe

Now, back in the political wilderness again, some Democrats believe a different type of candidate could be the answer for their 2026 hopes: a blue-collar populist guy.

www.bostonglobe.com

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 19d

After Charlie Kirk’s killing, Congress has plans to increase security for lawmakers. It could come at a price: Isolation.
by @jimpuzzanghera.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/n...

After Charlie Kirk’s killing, Congress has plans to increase security for lawmakers. It could come at a price. - The Boston Globe

Democracy experts warn that elected officials could be pushed deeper into a bubble, making it harder for average Americans to interact with them.

www.bostonglobe.com

2

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 19d

"Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse called social media 'deeply corrosive.' 'Vile' is the word Republican Rep, Lauren Boebert used."

Caitlyn Kim @caitlynkim.bsky.social · 19d

‘Vile’, ‘corrosive’, ‘toxic’ … and unquittable. Colorado’s members of Congress on how social media impacts their work and American society www.cpr.org/2025/09/19/c... #copolitics

Colorado’s members of Congress reflect on how social media impacts their work — and American society

Members say online platforms hold the promise of connecting with constituents in a direct way, but online rancor is having dangerous consequences.

www.cpr.org

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 21d

We're about to hear from the fired CDC director. Will senators continue to use a particular messaging tactic in the hearing to put distance between Kennedy and Trump? My story:
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/17/n...

Will fired CDC director help critics drive a wedge between RFK Jr. and Trump? - The Boston Globe

The hearing's set to be a major rebuke of Kennedy and comes as some Republicans have been increasingly critical of his actions, including his attacks on vaccines.

www.bostonglobe.com

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 22d

The Globe interviewed eight federal employees who took early retirement or deferred resignation. They had similar stories of deteriorating professional environments and bittersweet feelings of leaving years of mission-driven work.
By Julian Sorapuru www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/16/n...

With pay running out, what’s next for federal workers who took severance? - The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe interviewed eight federal employees from across the country who took either an early retirement or deferred resignation offer.

www.bostonglobe.com

5 10

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 23d

It's a big week for the Fed, and not just because of the challenging economy.
@jimpuzzanghera.bsky.social has the story on how Trump's interventions have complicated the Fed's already hard job:
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/14/b...

‘I don’t envy their job right now.’ Fed officials face a challenging economy amid Trump’s efforts to meddle. - The Boston Globe

Federal Reserve officials will make an interest rate decision this week in the face of rising inflation, a slowing job market, and President Trump's attack on the central bank's independence.

www.bostonglobe.com

1 8

Reposted by Tal Kopan

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 26d

The 16-year-old who shot two students in a Colorado high school on the same day Charlie Kirk was killed was a virulent white supremacist and antisemite www.denverpost.com/2025/09/11/e...

‘Radicalized’ Evergreen High School shooter appeared to hold antisemitic, violent views in online accounts

Social media accounts that appear to be connected to the 16-year-old shooter are littered with references to mass shootings and antisemitic views, The Denver Post found.

www.denverpost.com

130 2.3K 5.1K

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 28d

Harvard federal funding set to resume — at least for now
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/10/m...

Harvard federal funding set to resume — at least for now - The Boston Globe

The notices come a week after a federal judge said the Trump administration illegally canceled nearly $3 billion in Harvard’s research funding.

www.bostonglobe.com

2 4

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · 29d

‘Acquiescence is the wrong and dishonorable path’: As Harvard weighs a deal, alum in Congress urges them to hold firm
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/09/m...

‘Acquiescence is the wrong and dishonorable path’: As Harvard weighs a deal, alum in Congress urges them to hold firm - The Boston Globe

Rep. Jim Himes made a letter public that he wrote to Harvard President Alan Garber, saying he feels compelled to speak out and encourage other alumni to do the same.

www.bostonglobe.com

2 1 31

Reposted by Tal Kopan

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · Sep 8

Trump: "Things that take place in the home they call crime....If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this is a crime."

250 260 770

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · Sep 8

The main pro-MAHA/Kennedy group is urging his supporters to flood congressional phone lines after his combative hearing last week.
(I reported here on how the group has been deploying a media strategy to promote him, icymi: bostonglobe.com/2025/09/01/n... )

4 1

Tal Kopan @talkopan.bsky.social · Sep 8

Afghan interpreter in R.I. urges President Trump to ‘keep the promise’ made to allies who helped US forces
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/08/m...

Afghan interpreter in R.I. urges President Trump to ‘keep the promise’ made to allies who helped US forces - The Boston Globe

“It is breaking people’s hearts because there was a promise made when those people began working for the American military,” Aminullah Faqiry said.

www.bostonglobe.com

1