Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · 15d

It should. And we have to try. Democracy is always in the effort, in the growth, in becoming better versions of what we imagine. But we need more noise, more outrage, more calls to congress & DHS & Bondi, more signatures for petitions calling for his release. www.commondreams.org/news/mario-g...

Can Public Outrage and Protest Save Journalist Mario Guevara Like It Did Jimmy Kimmel? | Common Dreams

Mario Guevara's legal team wants a federal judge to free the Salvadoran journalist, who faces "imminent" deportation from the United States after being arrested while covering a June "No Kings" prot...

www.commondreams.org

1 32 48

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Yaël Eisenstat @yaeleisenstat.bsky.social · 15d

1/ While everyone is focused on Comey, Trump did this today. How many more of us will be targeted? How many rounded up? How many designated terrorists and prosecuted before those who remain on the sidelines finally open their eyes to what’s happening?
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

In Dangerous Attack on Left-Leaning Nonprofits, Trump Orders Government to Go After ‘Domestic Terrorism Networks’

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

25 230 530

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · 17d

Late-night comedy is definitely under threat of censorship. Comedians are always a line of attack for authoritarians. But so are other reporters & truth-tellers. Read my latest on the Mario Guevara case & the broader (daily) attacks on free speech by our admin: pressingissues.org/trumps-attac...

Trump’s Attacks on Free Speech Are Way Bigger Than Just Late-Night Comedy

This administration tries to muzzle dissent and the truth every day.

pressingissues.org

32 66

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Property of the People @propertyofthepeople.org · 21d

BIG: US law enforcement claims certain *emojis* could signal Tren de Aragua gang membership, leading to deportations, as revealed in intelligence documents we obtained & shared with @samtlevin.bsky.social / @maanvisingh.bsky.social / @us.theguardian.com. #FOIA www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Revealed: US law enforcement claimed emojis could signal Tren de Aragua affiliation

Claims are ‘an unsophisticated, uneducated approach that demonstrates a lack of knowledge’, says one professor

www.theguardian.com

38 100

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · 29d

A reminder that THIS is what a man who died telling the truth looks like.

Be in peace Anas Al Sharif.

سلام عليك يا أنس الشريف

1 27 82

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

I completely agree that one can never collaborate with fascists, but I also think we lose a bit of our moral compass each time we celebrate things like this.

I'm not calling for passivity I'm just suggesting we continue to humanize our enemies — I'm also aware they may not offer us that same grace.

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · Sep 10

If I have any credibility with you from 20 years of reporting on rightwing & fascist movements, please listen when I beg you not to celebrate Charlie Kirk getting shot. Leave aside morality: this isn’t a match in dry grass, it’s a torch. We do not want what this could ignite & we would not win.

470 1.9K 7.6K

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

I have no doubt that many like Kirk would wish horrible things happen to me and my loved ones.

I also watched a separate fascist killed a woman and she died at my feet.

I had a colleague killed by a car bomb.

I'm not telling you what to do, but I worry we're racing to a hyper polarized place.

1

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

I don't know man, what do you think?

1 1

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

You can be unapologetically antifascist and simultaneously not revel in moments of political violence like this.

Two children are now without a father, a wife is without their partner.

We need to humanize each other, even those we vehemently oppose.

الله يرحَمُه

2 3 16

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Property of the People @propertyofthepeople.org · Aug 21

Our latest: LA anti-ICE protests spurred US military to identify "hotels to avoid" due to "harassment," as revealed in an intelligence document we obtained and shared with @samtlevin.bsky.social / @us.theguardian.com. #FOIA

LA Ice protests spurred US military to identify ‘hotels to avoid’ due to ‘harassment’

Exclusive: Organizers disrupted Trump’s immigration crackdown by targeting hotels where officers were staying, documents show

www.theguardian.com

1 6 13

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · Jul 10

Yes to border cops, no to public media? Got it. Congress approved $170 billion for immigration enforcement, incl. $75 billion in extra funding for ICE. But the Senate may approve a budget CUT package to claw back $1.1 billion from public broadcasters PBS & NPR. The Senate has until July 18 to vote.

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · Jul 10

Benavidez said defunding public media is another part of the authoritarian strategy. “Public media is one of the last free, essential ways ppl can access info. Defunding them is a fundamental attack on the public’s ability to access free & accurate info.” www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/put-...

Put on your body armor - Editor and Publisher

In this month's editorial, Editor-in-Chief Robin Blinder writes that E&P was fortunate to have Diane Sylvester represent the magazine at the Media Impact Funders conference in June. At this conference...

www.editorandpublisher.com

11 30

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Property of the People @propertyofthepeople.org · Jun 16

Our director @rshapiro.bsky.social discussing our latest: US Army and state intelligence centers are targeting civilian-made online ICE raid maps as security threats, as revealed in new intel docs we obtained & shared w/ @dell.bsky.social @dmehro.bsky.social @wired.com. www.wired.com/story/no-kin...

10 23

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · Jun 14

The reckoning for freedom is here & we’ve got to fight for a collective freedom if we have any hope of upending Trump’s retaliation campaign. Read @brianstelter.bsky.social @cnn.com piece outlining what’s at stake: www.cnn.com/2025/06/14/m...

Anti-Trump protests cap a week of free speech stress tests across America | CNN Business

Virtually every flashpoint in American politics right now involves the First Amendment right to free speech and free expression.

www.cnn.com

10 57

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Property of the People @propertyofthepeople.org · Jun 13

Scoop: US Army and state intelligence centers are targeting civilian-made online ICE raid maps as security threats, as revealed in new intel docs we obtained and shared w/ @dell.bsky.social / @wired.com. #FOIA www.wired.com/story/no-kin...

'No Kings’ Protests, Citizen-Run ICE Trackers Trigger Intelligence Warnings

Army intelligence analysts are monitoring civilian-made ICE tracking tools, treating them as potential threats, as immigration protests spread nationwide.

www.wired.com

8 160 320

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Property of the People @propertyofthepeople.org · Jun 3

BIG STORY: FBI's WMD Office colluding with Big Ag lobby group to target animal rights activists as "bioterrorists" for conducting undercover investigations on factory farms, as revealed in intel documents we obtained & shared w/ @dell.bsky.social @wired.com. #FOIA www.wired.com/story/fbi-wm...

How the Farm Industry Spied on Animal Rights Activists and Pushed the FBI to Treat Them as Bioterrorists

For years, a powerful ‘Big Ag’ trade group served up information on activists to the FBI. Records reveal a decade-long effort to see the animal rights movement labeled a “bioterrorism” threat.

www.wired.com

1 39 70

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · Jun 2

This Thursday we're hosting a virtual conversation on free speech in the age of retaliation. @attorneynora.bsky.social will moderate this discussion with experts from @lawyerscomm.bsky.social and @ccrjustice.org. RSVP here! bit.ly/fpaorsoc

3 7

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

MSNBC @msnbc.com · May 9

NEW: See the dramatic moment when Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, was arrested Friday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility on trespassing charges.

57 130 350

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

ACLU @aclu.org · May 9

Today, our client Rümeysa Öztürk was released on bail from ICE detention in Louisiana, and she will return to New England to continue her studies.

📸 Giancarlo D’Agostaro

Two woman walking and embracing each other in front of an ICE detention center. The woman on the left is wearing a black dress and heels. The woman on the right is smiling and wearing a white hijab, glasses, and a pink garment. Members of the press are in the background.

Two women standing, smiling, and embracing each other with grass, water, and the sky in the background. The woman on the left is wearing a white hijab, glasses, and a pink garment. The woman on the right is wearing a black dress.

Two woman stand next to each other and hold onto one another. The woman on the left is wearing a black dress. The woman on the right is smiling and wearing a white hijab, glasses, and a pink garment. In the background is the fence of an ICE detention center.

550 5.7K 31K

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · May 2

And now the administration has ended public support for PBS and NPR. A blow for press freedom, independent media, and the Fourth Estate. A further blow to democracy any time government seeks to weaken independent news. Reminds me of Hungary and Russia.

Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · Apr 30

"Trump's lack of commitment to facts and disenfranchisement of media outlets creates confusion and mis- and disinformation, which threatens overall democratic stability." - @attorneynora.bsky.social

https://www.dw.com/en/trumps-attacks-on-media-tests-us-first-amendment-press-freedom/a-72359073

Trump's attacks on media test US press freedom rules – DW – 04/26/2025

From banning reporters from the Oval Office to trying to dismantle VOA, Trump’s moves against the press have sparked legal battles, with experts warning that press freedom — and US democracy itself — is threatened.

www.dw.com

6 14 25

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · May 1

NEW: Federal judge appointed by Trump rules that Trump's AEA proclamation is "unlawful."

The final judgment blocks Trump's March 14 Alien Enemies Act proclamation from being used to deport anyone from southern Texas.

Federal judge appointed by Trump rules that Trump's AEA proclamation is "unlawful"

The final judgment blocks Trump's March 14 Alien Enemies Act proclamation from being used to deport anyone from southern Texas.

www.lawdork.com

21 190 680

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · May 1

1 Waltz = 4 Flynns + 9 Scaramuccis

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...

Trump Is Ousting Michael Waltz, His National Security Adviser (Gift Article)

President Trump initially defended Mr. Waltz for mistakenly adding a journalist to a group chat about military strikes.

www.nytimes.com

2 5 16

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

The Citizens @the-citizens.bsky.social · Apr 26

📣 100 Days of the Broligarchy - on ZOOM

In this emergency session of the Big Tech Oversight Board, we look at Trump’s first 100 days through the lens of Big Tech - the good, the bad and the Broligarchy.

Wed 30th April, 9AM PST / 12pm EST / 5PM BST

citizensreunited.substack.com/p/live-emerg...

Live Emergency Session: 100 Days of the Broligarchy - April 30th

100 days into Trump 2.0 and Tech Bro takeover of the US government, where are we?

citizensreunited.substack.com

3 12 49

Reposted by The Sparrow Project

Property of the People @propertyofthepeople.org · Apr 25

BIG: We obtained the AG's memo serving as the blueprint for law enforcement nationwide to roundup immigrants as suspected Tren de Aragua members explicitly outside due process. We shared with Nick Penzenstadler / @willcarless.bsky.social / @usatoday.com. #FOIA www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Exclusive: DOJ memo offers blueprint to Tren de Aragua deportation plan

Trump administration officials directed police to circumvent courts and pursue gang members into their homes without a warrant, a new document shows.

www.usatoday.com

1 17 25

The Sparrow Project @thesparrowproject.bsky.social · Apr 24

Albeit slightly different from the types of Executive Orders outlined above, Trump appears to be exerting his executive power over the DOJ to target the ActBlue fundraising platform and PAC that services myriad 501c(3) nonprofits and 501c(4) political campaigns. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

Trump Plans to Target ActBlue, Democrats’ Cash Engine (Gift Article)

The president plans to direct the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the main Democratic fund-raising platform, in his latest move using the government to target political opponents.

www.nytimes.com

1 3 12