Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sparky

@chrismsparks.bsky.social

Some picts from ProgPower USA XXIV

September 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM

Sparky

@chrismsparks.bsky.social

I'm attending Fight the Trump Takeover's event, “Fight The Trump Takeover Rally Texas” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/fightthetrum...

Fight The Trump Takeover Rally Texas · Fight the Trump Takeover

Greg Abbott is letting Trump take over Texas. Instead of addressing the real crises Texans are facing, he's been using the special legislative session to push Trump's political agenda. Families are st...

www.mobilize.us

August 16, 2025 at 3:47 AM

Sparky

@chrismsparks.bsky.social

When the kid borrows a T-shirt for 80’s day and it’s one you got freshman year of college.. 🤯

August 6, 2025 at 1:16 PM

Reposted by Sparky

PoliticsGirl

@politicsgirl.bsky.social

If you’re not outraged by this, you really should be.

June 21, 2025 at 11:57 PM

Reposted by Sparky

The Lincoln Project

@lincolnproject.us

Trump parade: $45 Million

The chance to see that fake tanner melt off his ugly face on national tv: Priceless

Weather Forecasts Say It’s Going to Rain on Trump’s Parade

The president’s $45 million parade might not go as planned due to potential rain and thunderstorms.

www.thedailybeast.com

June 11, 2025 at 7:55 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Steven Beschloss

@stevenbeschloss.bsky.social

Wow, Trump is dropping tariffs on China to 30 percent for 90 days. He would like credit for beginning to fix a problem he created.

May 12, 2025 at 2:21 PM

Sparky

@chrismsparks.bsky.social

Morning walk

May 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Eric Columbus

@ericcolumbus.bsky.social

🚨🚨 Deranged letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard’s president, cutting off federal funding for any new grants.

Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.

THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20202
May 5, 2025
Dr. Alan Garber
Office of the President
Harvard University
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138
Dr. Garber,
The Federal Government has a sacred responsibility to be a wise and important steward of American taxpayer dollars. Harvard University, despite amassing a largely tax-free $53.2 billion dollar endowment (larger than the GDP of 100 countries), receives billions of dollars of taxpayer largess each year. Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right. Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these "students" come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country—and why is there so much HATE? These are questions that must be answered, among many more, but the biggest question of all is, why will Harvard not give straightforward answers to the American public?
Harvard University has made a mockery of this country's higher education system. It has invited foreign students, who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the United States of America, to its campus. In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities, and any semblance of academic rigor. It had scrapped standardized testing requirements and a normalized grading system. This year Harvard was forced to adopt an embarrassing "remedial math" program for undergraduates.
Why is it, we ask, that Harvard has to teach simple and basic mathematics, when it is supposedly so hard to get into this "acclaimed university"? Who is getting in under such a low standard when others, with fabulous grades and a great understanding of the highest levels of mathematics, are being rejected?
Harvard has even been embroiled in humiliating plagiarism scandals, exposed clearly and plainly in the media, with respect to your then…

$running the institution in a totally chaotic way. Harvard alumnus and highly successful hedge fund manager Bill Ackman noted that, under her leadership, Harvard has become "a political advocacy organization for one party." Ackman has called for the resignation of Pritzker, concluding that the "[t)he mismanagement here is Penny Pritzker" and noting that any serious corporation would have removed her after a litany of recent failings and the fact that, incredibly, "Harvard is not in a good financial position." According to Ackman, one of the world's foremost finance experts, Harvard's so-called S53 billion endowment is "massively overstated as far as what it's really worth," and Harvard has irresponsibly taken out $8 billion in debt. If this is true, it is concerning evidence of Harvard's disastrous mismanagement, indicating an urgent need for massive reform-not continued taxpayer investment. If Harvard prefers not to change, then Harvard should have no problem using its overflowing endowment to fund its bloated bureaucracy. At its best, a university should fulfill the highest ideals of our Nation, and enlighten the thousands of hopeful students who walk through its magnificent gates. But Harvard has betrayed this ideal. Perhaps most alarmingly, Harvard has failed to abide by the United States Supreme Court's ruling demanding that it end its racial preferencing, and continues to engage in ugly racism in its undergraduate and graduate schools, and even within the Harvard Law Review itself. Our universities should be bastions of merit that reward and celebrate excellence and achievement. They should not be incubators of discrimination that encourage resentment and instill grievance and racism into our wonderful young Americans. The above concerns are only a fraction of the long list of Harvard's consistent violations of its own legal duties. Given these and other concerning allegations, this letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the fede…$

Federal Agencies. The Administration's priorities have not changed and today's letter marks the end of new grants for the University.
These requests will advance the best interests of Harvard University, so it can reclaim its status as a respected educational institution for the future leaders of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Sincerely,
Linda E. McMahon
Secretary of Education

May 6, 2025 at 12:27 AM

Reposted by Sparky

Alt National Park Service

@altnps.bsky.social

As we’ve said before now confirmed. FOIA requests reveal that DOGE employees are pulling in six-figure salaries, with many holding the title of “Expert,” a specific Office of Personnel Management (OPM) designation that pays around $190,000 a year.

May 4, 2025 at 2:10 AM

Sparky

@chrismsparks.bsky.social

Hill Country Ride for AIDS 2025 is in the books! Beautiful day to ride. Beautiful people. #hcra2025

May 4, 2025 at 5:57 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Governor Tim Walz

@governorwalz.mn.gov

Mike Waltz has left the chat.

May 1, 2025 at 3:50 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Pete Buttigieg

@petebuttigieg.bsky.social

If we’re serious about more efficient government and better everyday life in America - which we all should be - that means actually improving government, not cutting health care for poor people and slashing support for veterans.

April 24, 2025 at 12:59 PM

Sparky

@chrismsparks.bsky.social

A great weekend of metal. Delain, Xandria, Edge of Paradise, and Geoff Tate.

April 24, 2025 at 10:44 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Angry

@angrystaffer.bsky.social

BREAKING: I have no intention of piloting an F-22

Sorry, I thought we were just declining to do things we had no real authority to do anyway

Patrick White @patwhite7000.bsky.social · Apr 22

President Trump said he has “no intention” of firing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell

April 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Pete Buttigieg

@petebuttigieg.bsky.social

*Of course* advance information on US combat operations is classified. Pretending otherwise is an insult to our troops, who all know this.

The Secretary is unfit to lead.

April 21, 2025 at 12:01 AM

Reposted by Sparky

The Lincoln Project

@lincolnproject.us

Last time he told you not "not to worry" half a million Americans died of Covid.

April 7, 2025 at 1:42 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Stonekettle

@stonekettle.bsky.social

Maybe we shouldn't have deleted those Navajo Code Talkers from the Defense Department after all.

March 24, 2025 at 11:08 PM

Reposted by Sparky

Governor Tim Walz

@governorwalz.mn.gov

I would like to nominate Maxwell Smart for national security advisor.

Pm Private GIF

ALT: Pm Private GIF

media.tenor.com

March 25, 2025 at 1:32 AM

Reposted by Sparky

John Bull

@garius.bsky.social

Always wondered how the Star Wars Emperor could start with a battle-hardened army and end up with an "entire legion of his best troops" being beaten to death by teddybears with sticks.

Then Hegseth ended up as US Defence Sec. And now yeah that makes sense.

February 27, 2025 at 10:06 AM

Reposted by Sparky

Pete Buttigieg

@petebuttigieg.bsky.social

A defining policy battle is about to come to a head in this country. The Republican budget will force everyone - especially Congress and the White House - to make plain whether they are prepared to harm the rest of us in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest.