Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

www.thedailybeast.com/why-fallen-h...

Why Fallen Hero Shows What’s Rotten About JD Vance’s Denmark Smear

JD Vance’s controversial visit to Greenland highlights the story of Private Sophia “Bellis” Bruun.

www.thedailybeast.com

March 28, 2025 at 9:36 PM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

apnews.com/article/jfk-...

People named in JFK assassination documents are not happy their personal information was released

The John F. Kennedy assassination documents released this week disclosed sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers.

apnews.com

March 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM

Reposted by Mark

Christopher Webb

@cwebbonline.com

He couldn’t even run a charity without breaking the law—Now he believes he’s in charge of the Supreme Court, Congress, our rights, and the U.S. justice system. Who’s going to stop him?!

March 18, 2025 at 3:49 AM

Reposted by Mark

Jacob Harris

@jacobharr.is

Chilling details from a lawsuit against DOGE by USADF about how much of a lie DOGE's "IT modernization" is (the best way to describe it is if someone comes from the cable company and then says because he's in your house, he's allowed to do a home invasion) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

On February 20, 2025, Chris Young, a senior member of the Department
of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team met with the USADF leadership team, including me, at headquarters. Young explained that he was there to introduce DOGE to the Agency. He also announced that two software engineers would be assigned to the Agency to modernize the Agency’s IT systems and create efficiencies in our operations. During discussions, I stated to Mr. Young that modernizing our IT systems and databases was welcome news and that we fully supported the mission of

using technology to create a more efficient workforce. Mr. Young spoke about his experience in Africa as a child of missionaries and stated that he has seen first-hand the many problems that USADF is trying to address. He mentioned that due to the urgency of responding to the President’s Executive Order aimed at USADF, the two engineers would come to the Agency the next day on February 21st.
4. On February 21, Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, and Nate Cavanaugh
arrived at USADF. Shaotran and Cavanaugh introduced themselves as IT personnel from GSA. Altik stated that he was a lawyer from the White House Personnel Office. They explained that we needed to immediately sign a memorandum of understanding for their detail assignment.
5. Once the MOU was signed, Altik explained the true purpose of the
meeting, which was to provide USADF leadership with DOGE’s interpretation of the “minimum presence and function” required by USADF’s statute. DOGE read the statute to mean: 1) only the USADF Board and President/CEO are statutorily required, 2) only one or two grants funded by private sector partnerships are required, and 3) all other personnel/employees therefore needed to be eliminated under the Executive Order.
6. Altik stated that his next step was to present a RIF plan (where all
USADF staff would be fired) to the board for approval by Monday, February 24. Altik threatened that if the Board didn’t approve the plan, the Board would be dismissed.

March 18, 2025 at 11:09 AM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Measles remains a danger to health even years after an infection

The measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico is now close to 300 cases. Most are unvaccinated children. People usually recover, but doctors are stressing how dangerous and long-lasting it can be.

www.npr.org

March 18, 2025 at 1:13 PM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

www.ktvb.com/article/news...

'I went to Iraq and they fired me over an email': Veteran, government service worker fired by D.O.G.E.

Vicky Teigue who is 90% disabled and was five months from retirement questions how the government could turn its back on her.

www.ktvb.com

March 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM

Reposted by Mark

Anna Bower

@annabower.bsky.social

DOGE cut off payments for the electricity, cell phone, and internet service of U.S. government employees who work in a high-risk area in Central America.

Meanwhile, DOGE apparently plans to spend $25,000 to install a washer and dryer for their own personal use in a federal office building in DC.

Because DOGE has shut down USAID's payment system (Phoenix), our housing
electricity and the electricity in our USAID building have not been paid for. Mission
leadership has informed us that the only reason our electricity is on is because we've
asked for an extension from the electric company. The Mission asked for a waiver but
because our payment system is down, the Treasury has no way to issue money to USAID
and State Department representatives here are hesitant to make payments on our behalf
for fear of not being reimbursed.
7. Once the electricity goes out in our homes, we lose access to our security cameras and
radios. Again, I live in a high-risk post, so access to security systems is very important to
me.
8. I have been told by Mission leadership that the cell phone and internet bills are due this
week with no way to pay them. This is despite the so-called "waiver" process that has
been allegedly implemented to preserve such access.
9. Our cell phones and radios are also the only way to communicate with the Regional
Security Office about security threats. We have access to no other USAID security
systems.

The agency is also considering spending about $25,000 to install a washer and dryer on the building’s 6th floor, according to a Feb. 25 invoice obtained by POLITICO. There is also a child’s play area decorated with a stuffed animal and toys, according to a photo of the room shared with POLITICO.

“People are definitely … sleeping there,” said one GSA staffer.

March 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

www.reuters.com/world/us/fir...

Exclusive: Fired US government workers with top security clearances were not given exit briefings, sources say

Some U.S. government workers with top security clearances fired in mass layoffs overseen by Elon Musk in recent weeks were not given standard exit briefings and advised on what to do if approached by foreign adversaries, four sources told Reuters.

www.reuters.com

March 4, 2025 at 10:28 PM

Reposted by Mark

Sam Halpert

@samhalpert.bsky.social

No one wants a paper trail because spending funds Congress has not appropriated is colloquially known as “stealing from the US Treasury.”

However, on Friday, FAA officials ordered staff to begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal, according to a source with knowledge of the FAA and two people briefed on the situation.
The sources note that these internal directives have mostly, if not entirely, been delivered verbally — which they say is unusual for a matter like this. The source with knowledge of the FAA tells Rolling Stone that it appears as though “someone does not want a paper trail.”

March 2, 2025 at 2:21 PM

Reposted by Mark

Joyce White Vance

@joycewhitevance.bsky.social

If only Congress had the ability to do something about this…

March 2, 2025 at 10:32 AM

Reposted by Mark

Ron Filipkowski

@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social

And there it is. Putin’s lifelong dream. After years of relentless Russian propaganda, now fully embraced by the American president and the world’s richest oligarch, millions of Americans are convinced that this is a good plan because Europe is an enemy and Putin is our friend.

March 2, 2025 at 12:24 PM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

www.military.com/daily-news/2...

Army Deleting Online Content Related to Women, Minorities Using Key Words Like 'Respect' and 'Dignity'

The deletion of photos, video and other content is part of an order by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that all the military services eliminate online material not allowed by the Trump administration.

www.military.com

March 3, 2025 at 7:52 AM

Reposted by Mark

realKyleKeegan

@realkylekeegan.bsky.social

And so here we are.

March 2, 2025 at 1:08 AM

Reposted by Mark

Greg Sargent

@gregsargent.bsky.social

“This is going to be a massive loss of life overall. Children are likely already dying, and will clearly be dying in large numbers.”

-former USAID official @agawande.bsky.social, to me, in this piece. Lots more like that in here:

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Mar 1

Horrific: One of the USAID programs Trump just terminated was set to deliver lifesaving treatment to hundreds of thousands of starving kids abroad. Much of it is now sitting in a Georgia warehouse.

Rubio's promise to preserve urgent assistance was a lie.

New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/1921...

Musk’s Purges Suddenly Take a Horrific Turn—and Wreck an Ugly MAGA Lie

We can now be depressingly confident that their mass cuts are killing people.

newrepublic.com

March 2, 2025 at 12:51 PM

Reposted by Mark

🦋MOM🦋

@momcjl.bsky.social

Here is a better copy of the letter. 😊🦋

March 3, 2025 at 12:25 AM

Reposted by Mark

Reuters

@reuters.com

Brazilian movie ‘I'm Still Here,’ set against the backdrop of the military dictatorship and recounting the true story of a mother of five whose husband disappears, made history by earning Brazil its first Oscar in a major category reut.rs/41Djn80 #Oscars2025

'I'm Still Here' makes history as first Brazilian film to win best international feature

Brazilian movie "I'm Still Here", set against the backdrop of the military dictatorship and recounting the true story of a mother of five whose husband disappears, made history on Sunday by earning Brazil its first Oscar in a major category.

reut.rs

March 3, 2025 at 5:34 AM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

Washington now ‘largely aligns’ with Moscow’s vision, Kremlin says

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Washington now ‘largely aligns’ with Moscow’s vision, Kremlin says

Tension between the United States and Ukraine, laid bare in the Oval Office meeting of Trump and Zelensky, is seen in Moscow as a “gift.”

www.washingtonpost.com

March 3, 2025 at 6:38 AM

Reposted by Mark

Rick

@rickylongthread.bsky.social

March 1, 2025 at 8:42 PM

Reposted by Mark

Acyn

@acyn.bsky.social

Reporter: Do you still think Zelenskyy is a dictator?

Trump: Umm did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question

February 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM

Mark

@whatjinx.bsky.social

apnews.com/article/meas...

First measles death is reported in the West Texas outbreak that's infected more than 120 people

A person who was hospitalized has died from measles in West Texas. It's the first since the outbreak began late last month.

apnews.com

February 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM

Reposted by Mark

Carl Quintanilla

@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

MARINE VET: “.. I feel like someone from outside of our family is trying to tell us how to run it and telling me I don’t belong, and that’s really angered me.”

@taskandpurpose.com
taskandpurpose.com/news/veteran...

A Marine vet thought he found a 'home' working at the VA. Now he's one of 1,000 fired.

Andrew Lennox, who was terminated from the VA, noted the irony of the VA claiming it had fired some veterans to help veterans.

taskandpurpose.com

February 16, 2025 at 3:07 PM

Reposted by Mark

Brian Goldstone

@brian-goldstone.bsky.social

This is where we are now: An elementary school at Fort Campbell has removed all books from its library that so much as *allude* to slavery or the civil rights movement.

The wholesale erasure of history in real time.