Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Danielle Kurtzleben

@titonka.bsky.social

32K followers 1K following 2.2K posts

NPR White House correspondent. Former Vox, US News and World Report. Tariff explainer. Masculinity politics expert. Native Iowan. Girlboss. Pianist, writer, real piece of work. daniellekurtzleben.substack.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 28d

The oyster-shucking, baseball-playing, hands-working-with men have arrived on the 2026 political scene, and I have thoughts.

daniellekurtzleben.substack.com/p/when-authe...

When "authenticity" means "dudes"

As 2026 approaches, can we political reporters please not forget every damn thing we learned just last year for the love of God

daniellekurtzleben.substack.com

23 42 190

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 19m

Any time I've gone to an NPR union steward with an issue they're all "Hell yeah i want to help you let's do this thing." And HOW GREAT IS THAT? I'll tell you how great. It rules.

2 29

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 20m

1) My union is great.
2) Union stewards are the best people.

2 3 65

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 21m

I personally can't believe I've been at NPR long enough to have someone tell me "I listened to you on NPR when i was a teenager."

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 25m

Look. El Scorcho is problematic and all and also it's a fucking great song to scream.

1 2

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 51m

People.

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 13h

Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

5 18

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 56m

Things are bad.

Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 3h

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

1 6 26

Reposted by Danielle Kurtzleben

Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 3h

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

20 600 950

Reposted by Danielle Kurtzleben

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 14h

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

150 4.1K 8.9K

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 12h

(Link in bio. Ok.)

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 12h

The newsletter is moving to Ghost. This week. By posting this I’m making myself do it. Ok.

6 6 110

Reposted by Danielle Kurtzleben

Ryan Benk @ryanbenk.bsky.social · 1d

What the fuck are we doing here

CNN @cnn.com · 1d

"President Donald Trump and his top aides are using the word 'insurrection' more frequently to describe anti-ICE protests in places like Portland," writes Zachary B. Wolf. https://cnn.it/4pWYmzr

1 1 25

Reposted by Danielle Kurtzleben

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 1d

CHICAGO (AP) — Storming an apartment complex by helicopter as families slept. Deploying chemical agents near a public school. Handcuffing a Chicago City Council member at a hospital.

apnews.com/article/chic...

Using helicopters and chemical agents, immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago

Activists, residents and elected leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest cit...

apnews.com

390 3K 6.5K

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

…content?

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

I mean anyway thanks to Jesse Watters i will never lack masculinity content.

2 1 38

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

Wait so … wait.

So toxic masculinity does exist and Biden did it…?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Monica Crowley: "What a difference a presidency makes. We are now totally over that destructive, stupid era of toxic masculinity, and now we're in an era of real masculinity thanks to the bold muscular leadership of President Trump and our Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. We saw that in bold relief."

3 10 69

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

🫡

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

Sorry won't be working for the next month as I pore over political commentary on TSwift's latest album

4 1 41

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

I think this is 100% true. Her policies mattered, but viewed through the lens of race/gender, voters I think thought she was way more progressive than she was. (See also: Obama, Hillary.)

3 1

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 1d

The necromancer spews lies. Do not believe her pronouncements. Carry a sharp sword and remember that fear is also a weapon. And when the demon emerges from the hellmouth, strike but once, bold and true -- you may not get another opportunity.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 4d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

1 4 53

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 2d

Dude 1000%

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 2d

Ugh also ZacH my bad

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 2d

Not just the emotional question (will this ruin my year) but…is it readable or crazy dry/dense?

1 2

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 2d

Legit question Zack:

I have this book. I have many times considered reading.

Should I?

1 1

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 2d

😬

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 2d

Disclaimer: I worked for M and E circa 2014-15 and found them to be very smart and nice enough guys.

8 13