Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 11h

"All three problems made readers a little stupider, and the discourse a little more coarse and lazy. (X’s head of product says that they might undo this feature, but its users are now conditioned to pilfering pieces of news with no link and little credit.)" talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/how-e...

How Elon Musk’s Changes to X Made Our Discourse Far Stupider

We don’t know the minute when X started throttling links to news,...

talkingpointsmemo.com

2 8

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Effective Transit Alliance @etany.org · 11h

By learning from other countries and adopting international best practices, California High Speed Rail was able to cut its costs by $14 billion and cut 70% of tunnels.

This is a big lesson for transit projects both in NY & around the US: start by learning from other countries.

tinyurl.com/mvsmfxa2

Ian Choudri: Yes. When I came on board, like we looked at six or seven different areas of improvements and one of that was engineering of how we are building it comparable to the European and Japanese systems. And came to realize that as engineers, all the folks that were in the team being very conservative. They were going, "Let’s build it not that steep." And so we are going to do it as flat as we can. While that’s fun if you are in the desert, if you are going through Tehachapi or Pacheco Pass, you quickly realize you can't stay flat.
So the decision was made to make it a little higher, because Europe is doing it, Japan has been doing it. Let’s not reinvent. That eliminated about 70 percent of the tunnels that we had to do. And that’s billions of dollars.

Ian Choudri: I don’t blame anyone. These were not intentional mistakes. This was a lack of checking because we don’t have another high speed rail in this country. So we were using highway bridges or freight rail design concepts, which is all we know.
And so we fixed it. It took us four months to realize that this is a big mistake and improve the cost structure. When we put our plan out, we said we saved $14 billion by optimizing cost by changing design standards and criteria, bringing them up to par with the European and the Japanese.

3 25 78

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 17h

this needs to known far and wide

Alex Burness @burness.bsky.social · 1d

A Republican sheriff in a swing county that Trump won by 0.1% signed a contract to help ICE, then lost last week by 11.

New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...

Voters Ousted This Pennsylvania Sheriff After He Signed Up to Collaborate With ICE - Bolts

A populous, swing county replaced its GOP sheriff on Tuesday after months of controversy over his joining ICE’s 287(g) program. The Democratic winner promises he’ll end the contract.

boltsmag.org

11 320 1.2K

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 19h

"Bari Weiss does not understand what journalistic standards are" is just incredibly lazy writing. Too predictable. Redraft please.

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 19h

“I’ve been hearing that standards will be eliminated or severely cut back. Bari has told people that she wants to get rid of standards and is shocked that they have so much power. She also asked openly, ‘What’s the point of standards?’” one CBS source said.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Bari Weiss wants to take down ‘too much power’ CBS News Standards unit: sources

EXCLUSIVE: Internal rumblings within the newsroom come after the S&P head resigned and the network disbanded its vaunted Race and Culture unit.

www.independent.co.uk

1 9

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 19h

The point of having a standards editor is that you bring in a skilled, disinterested person to read or watch a story and point out possible bias, errors and lapses.

The actual story editors can miss those things because they're so closely tied to the production and reporting of the piece.

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 19h

“I’ve been hearing that standards will be eliminated or severely cut back. Bari has told people that she wants to get rid of standards and is shocked that they have so much power. She also asked openly, ‘What’s the point of standards?’” one CBS source said.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Bari Weiss wants to take down ‘too much power’ CBS News Standards unit: sources

EXCLUSIVE: Internal rumblings within the newsroom come after the S&P head resigned and the network disbanded its vaunted Race and Culture unit.

www.independent.co.uk

39 210 890

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Lindsey Boylan @lindseyboylan.bsky.social · 1d

I wanna remind folks that Melissa‘s dad runs the firm that Errol‘s wife works for and he does not acknowledge this even as he gives these interviews to people who have no business getting airtime anymore

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 1d

Ah yes, the famously egoless Andrew Cuomo…

Also, her justification for Cuomo staying in the race is absolute nonsense.

This woman is a menace — and not the fun kind.

Sally Goldenberg
@SallyGold
X.com
On @errollouis tonight, Melissa DeRosa says @andrewcuomo stayed in the race after losing the primary to deny @ZohranKMamdani a bigger victory and suggests @CurtisSliwa didn't drop out because he has a big ego and was offered a deal to stay in.
4:41 PM • 11/10/25 • 4.6K Views

9 25 220

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 1d

Sheesh
zeteo.com/p/senate-dem...

190 1.5K 4.5K

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez @ramirez.house.gov · 1d

I've said it before, and I will say it again.

We need courageous leaders that put working families at the center of all they do.

8 democrats caving to empty promises is an indefensible leadership failure

For the sake of our country, Schumer needs to resign.

39 360 1.5K

Reposted by Adam Boritz

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 1d

Eight Senate Democrats saw charts like these and decided "oh yes, now that public opinion is on our side and our opponent is facing electoral consequences for their policy choices, now is a great time to give up all of our leverage in health care negotiations" www.gelliottmorris.com/p/donald-tru...

30 160 480

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 1d

They won two statewide elections in Georgia!

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 2d

This is why this surrender isn't just about this narrow issue but is rather the whole constitutional ballgame:

Democrats are affirmatively signaling they do not want political power at the same time Trump is transitioning the political system into an autocratic one wherein they're denied it forever

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 2d

Not that he didn’t already know, but now Trump knows for sure he can roll the Dems every time and there’s no need to negotiate for anything

20 470 1.6K

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

> @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social

320 3K 8K

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 1d

Trolling Chris Marte to start the new admin? I love it.

3

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 1d

@airlineflyer.net what should be expected in terms of flights for the coming weekend if the deal is signed mid-week? I imagine many of the workers who worked through the shut down will use sick time in advance of Thanksgiving, so should a reduced number of flights be expected?

1

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 1d

@benjaminkabak.com if people are asking what could Schumer have done to stop this if he truly was against it, it's simple. He could've stripped them off leadership or committee roles. He could have told Gillibrand to withhold DSCC funding. This is why it's obvious that Chuck was okn with the deal.

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Chris Sprigman @cjsprigman.bsky.social · 2d

The Democrats who voted for surrender should be hounded out of office asap. But the responsibility for this disaster runs much deeper than that. Any Democrat who does not vote for new leadership to prevent this endless replay of failure does not deserve your support.

6 37 150

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 2d

It’s spineless. It’s not understanding what most Americans want or how to win a media cycle. If it’s in response to donor concerns over airplanes, that’s sad and disqualifying.

1 10

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 2d

Mitch McConnel's singular political insight is that Presidents get punished for Congressional obstinancy and he used that insight to get the Right an unbreakable majority on the Supreme Court, so of course Chuck Schumer's iteration on it is to proactively let democrats take blame after tangible harm

10 310 1.5K

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 2d

Also needs to acknowledge how much the media tried to help Cuomo win

4

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 3d

The funniest thing is that he probably thinks people won't remember him taking money from all of those trump donors when the primary comes next year

3

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 3d

I do not believe that anti-Zionism is antisemitic, and I have consistently argued against those who say it is, but if you see the act of condemning anti-Diaspora antisemitism as inherently Zionist and pro-Israel, you are really telling on yourself.

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 3d

The pro-Palestine group Within Our Lifetime has already decided that Zohran Mamdani has sold out the pro-Palestine cause... by condemning swastikas drawn on a Jewish day school in Brooklyn. forward.com/culture/7822...

Mamdani's first statement on antisemitism as mayor-elect got some weird pushback

After someone spraypainted a swastika on a yeshiva, Zohran Mamdani condemned antisemitism. Somehow, this generated conspiracy theories.

forward.com

10 72 290

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 3d

He wants to find a way to try and continue running a campaign where he can be racist against Zohran. He's a little baby who still can't stomach the primary loss.

1

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Dan Greene @dmgreene.bsky.social · 4d

In the name of protecting Jews, Jews have their funding cancelled, get kicked out of seminars, and are removed from leadership positions in Jewish Studies to be replaced by non-Jews.

Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · 4d

Latest write-up about outrageous administrative over reach at IU. www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...

In Indiana, a vaunted Jewish studies program is upended by red-state politics over Israel and speech - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

A leadership shakeup, a defunded graduate student and political pressure from above have turned a storied program into a flashpoint for Trump-era campus politics.

www.jta.org

1 570 1.7K

Adam Boritz @adamb0.bsky.social · 4d

@benjaminkabak.com www.npr.org/2025/11/07/n... Greenblatt has no shame and is headed towards being dependent on the Adelsons for funding soon.

ADL creates new 'Mamdani Monitor' project to track his administration policies

After the ADL announced its scrutiny of Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect told reporters, "I take the issue of antisemitism incredibly seriously."

www.npr.org

1

Reposted by Adam Boritz

Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 4d

Lotta good back and forth in the various strains of this thread about Jay Jacobs, but I really just want to focus on Brian's last line here. Nassau County Dems - Suozzi, Gillen, Jacobs - all spent more time melting down over Mamdani than boosting their own candidates. It's a huge failure.

Brian Edits @bubsc.bsky.social · 4d

Nassau Dem. I knew there was an election for County Executive. I knew I wanted Blakeman out.

I had no idea who was running against him until I searched it

Only AFTER that did I start to see any ads for Koslow.

My congressman Suozzi spent more time denouncing Mamdani than supporting Koslow.

1 20 81