Joyful Aroha
LightNews LightNews
banner
joyfularoha.bsky.social
Joyful Aroha
@joyfularoha.bsky.social
1K followers 1.1K following 130 posts
Views are my own and do not reflect those of my employer. My name is Joy O'Donnell. Abolish Poverty. Expat Kiwi, living on Gadigal land.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
diplomatofnight.com
Good to know that David Frum is always on the wrong side
I wrote in @TheAtlantic 10 years ago, pre-Trump, that Somali immigration to Minnesota was proving an assimilation failure. America's Immigration Challenge From theatlantic.com 7:09 AM • 12/12/25 • 37K Views
December 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
kellyscaletta.bsky.social
Number of convictions for assaulting Border agents/ICE agents.

2024: 1
2025: 1

Methinks this uptick in assaults on ICE is bullshit.
December 13, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
jamesstout.bsky.social
We talk about press consolidation here. If you’re interested in orgs supporting a free and independent media, check out @freedom.press freedom.press/donate/
December 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
dropsitenews.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
dropsitenews.com
🚨 Must watch: Nicole Widdersheim of Human Rights Watch, her voice audibly breaking, describes atrocities against civilians in Sudan that are now “on par, if possibly not worse,” than those during the Darfur genocide 2 decades ago.

She said both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) & the Sudanese Armed...
🚨 Must watch: Nicole Widdersheim of Human Rights Watch, her voice audibly breaking, describes atrocities against civilians in Sudan that are now “on par, if possibly not worse,” than those during the Darfur genocide two decades ago. She said both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are “targeting civilians,” and that the RSF is carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign marked by mass executions and widespread sexual violence, including rape, forced marriage, and child marriage—acts she said are “very likely” genocide. She said the SAF has also committed war crimes, including indiscriminate airstrikes, mass detention, and abuse of civilians in areas it has retaken. Widdersheim said RSF fighters have filmed themselves committing massacres “with no fear,” including killing civilians as they attempted to flee—evidence, she said, of total impunity. She warned that civilians in South Kordofan now face an “imminent risk of mass atrocities to the level and the volume that we saw in al-Fashir just two months ago.” She condemned what she called a “pathetic” international response, saying U.S. policy across administrations has been uncoordinated and ineffective, allowing violence to escalate unchecked: “These have all been acts with words and no actions.” Widdersheim criticized the lack of a clear U.S. and Quad strategy on Sudan, saying, “The United States government is a major actor in this situation. It can do much more than it has… In my 27 years working on Sudan and South Sudan, I have never seen the U.S. government writ large so unengaged on the region.” “The U.S. is losing its moral credibility in the world and in Sudan,” she warned. “There’s so much more you can do to help the Sudanese people survive this terrible time.” She pleaded Congress to either advance the Sudan Peace Act introduced by Rep. Sara Jacobs or pass new legislation establishing clear, enforceable recommendations to guide the Trump administration in the President “newfound interest in Sudan to bring peace.” @NWiddersheim
December 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
yasharali.bsky.social
1. I never want to hear about “we’re protecting the kids” again from people like Riley Gaines.

Nicki Minaj is marred to a registered sex offender who served time in prison for attempted rape of a teenage girl.
Alt text: Screenshot of a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Nicki Minaj’s verified account (@NICKIMINAJ). The tweet is formatted as short lines of text and reads: “Wanting to see more TRANSKIDS NEWSOME,” followed by “GRUESOME,” then “Haha.” It continues with dismissive lines: “Fire victims? Nah,” “Hollywood? Nah,” and “Swatting calls to homes with innocent children? Nah.” The tweet then says in all caps: “GAVIN WANTS ONE THING. TRANSKIDS NEWSOME.” It ends with “this one made me laugh really loud,” “LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” and “Gotta admit I’m funny.” Engagement metrics beneath the tweet show roughly 934 replies, 1.4K reposts, 10K likes, and about 181K views. Below it is a reply from Riley Gaines’ verified account (@Riley_Gaines_), which reads: “why can’t everyone in Hollywood possess this level of common sense 😭 QUEEN.” The screenshot shows the X.com interface with timestamps and icons visible.
December 13, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
jvagle.me
And then there’s the story about Alex Karp’s not-at-all-weird interview (for lack of a better word) with Oswald Mosley’s grandson for a senior position at Palantir.
December 13, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
sethcotlar.bsky.social
This is so perfect. In 2012 CPAC banned the John Birch Society. In 2023 they were welcomed back into the fold. And now here they are working together with TPUSA.
THE JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY IS BACK AT CPC. Author: Veronika Kyrylenko Date: Apr. 10, 2023 From: The New American (Vol. 39, Issue 7) Publisher: American Opinion Publishing, Inc. Document Type: Article Length: 603 words Lexile Measure: 1170L Ar A- Aa ①） To the joy of constitutionalist attendees, The John Birch Society, parent organization of The New American, was welcomed back to CPAC after being banned from the event in 2012.
December 13, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
politicsintheuk.bsky.social
Same far-right hacks now crying that Polish workers are going back, despite having pushed daily hatred towards them for decades. Piss off, Daily Mail.
December 13, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
brandonfriedman.bsky.social
Things we learn:

1. Bovino's existence is the result of chain migration, which MAGA wants to ban

2. His family arrived legally under an immigration law MAGA wants to repeal

3. His father killed a woman while driving drunk, a crime for which MAGA aims to deport immigrants

And much more. Read it.
Greg Bovino’s the star of Trump’s deportation show. We trace his roots.
As a boy, the Hollywood movie “The Border" set the course for his life. He couldn’t believe the Border Patrol agents in the movie were the bad guys. Now that he’s in charge of deportation efforts caus...
chicago.suntimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
nslayton.bsky.social
"Richest country on earth"
paleofuture.bsky.social Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 45m
34% of U.S. voters say they've skipped a meal in the past year to save money.

The percentages are higher for Black (44%), Hispanic (41%), women (39%) and voters under 30 (54%).

64% of U.S. voters say they've switched to cheaper groceries or buying less food to save money.

tcf.org/content/repo...
Switched to less expensive or bought fewer groceries All voters: 64% Black: 74% Hispanic: 71% Women: 72% Under 30: 79% Skipped a meal to save money: All voters: 34% Black: 44% Hispanic: 41% Women: 39% Under 30: 54%
December 13, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
sharonk.bsky.social
Loomer got the NSA deputy director nom pulled
The White House is withdrawing @JoeFrancescon as its nominee to be the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Deputy Director, meanwhile the acting Deputy Director will retire at the end of the month. This means the top two positions at NSA and the four-star commander at Cyber Command will remain vacant for 8 months and counting. All because of infighting in the White House and the involvement of whacky Laura Loomer in hiring. We are at Cyber War everyday and the inability to get leaders in place is gross negligence.
December 13, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
joyannreid.bsky.social
You’re missing the part where they inevitably enact national ID & universal biometric identification. The very things conservatives once claimed would be unacceptable tyranny or even the mark of the Beast, but which they will blindly accept as legitimate because Trump, their god and king, says so.
forevernever.bsky.social Pé 🍺🧿 @forevernever.bsky.social · 3h
Native-born American citizens don't have "immigration documents". And there's no requirement for naturalized citizens to carry their paperwork, either. And only about half of US citizens have a passport.

This is just fascism.
December 13, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
peoplesfabric.com
“an officer testified that police have been called to the apartment roughly two dozen times in the last year and a half. Prosecutors also detailed a long relationship between Saxon and the victim that began when she was 18 years old and he was in his 40s.”
Cincinnati ICE Leader Accused of Strangling Woman Held on $400k Bond
Prosecutors say the award-winning ICE agent has a history of domestic violence reports as DHS places him on suspension.
www.citybeat.com
December 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
altyellonatpark.org
Fall colors in the park ;-)
Just before the first snow.
December 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
nickjbrumfield.bsky.social
It sounds far-fetched now but settler colonialism is a process and this is eerily similar to how the US somehow expanded past the Appalachian Mountains despite it being officially "illegal"
December 13, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
brontelee.bsky.social
SAW ONE ON THE WAY HOME TOO!! maybe even the same one?? 🤔
December 13, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
nslayton.bsky.social
Just bought my copy. You should too. Support independent journalism (and really good journalism at that!).
December 12, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
dropsitenews.com
🇬🇧🇵🇸 7 detained UK activists linked to Palestine Action are on a prolonged full hunger strike, w/ an 8th fasting intermittently in solidarity, now stretching beyond 5 weeks. Lawyers & families warn their lives are at risk, with multiple strikers hospitalized and doctors saying their condition is...
🇬🇧🇵🇸 Seven detained UK activists linked to Palestine Action are on a prolonged full hunger strike, with an eighth fasting intermittently in solidarity, now stretching beyond five weeks. Lawyers and families warn their lives are at risk, with multiple strikers hospitalized and doctors saying their condition is becoming life-threatening. The activists are being jailed before trial, despite not being convicted, over direct actions targeting Elbit Systems and genocide complicit military sites. Supporters say the strike protests extended pre-trial imprisonment, prison censorship, and importantly the UK government’s decision to proscribe and ban Palestine Action, as pressure mounts for intervention. Those on hunger strike: Kamran Ahmed, Jon Cink, Amu Gib, Teuta Hoxha, Heba Muraisi, Qesser Zuhrah, and Muhammad Umer Khalid. Lewie Chiaramello, who is diabetic, is fasting every other day. Post See new posts Conversation Owen Jones @owenjonesjourno They're in prison without trial - on hunger strike for Palestine. The media has been suppressing this story. Their lives are at risk. Listen here to their loved ones. Let them be released on bail, close Israeli arms makers, reverse the ban on Palestine Action.
December 12, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
dieworkwear.bsky.social
My friend Peter and I did a pod on how to buy a gift. Unlike other gift guides, this is not just a list of products, but suggestions on how to approach gifting (although, this clip is basically about a book we love). 🧵

pod.link/blamo/episod...
December 12, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
davewagner.bsky.social
you just met him at a party and he's giving only one word answers and not asking you any questions. he is taking up the entire couch and it is the only place to sit. he seems to not realize this.
An orange and white cat is looking cooly off to the side, aloof. His paws are held together like a gentleman.
December 12, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
bodegacats.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
weskrantz.bsky.social
good morning
December 12, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
weskrantz.bsky.social
year three of not being able to keep a tree inside coming up
December 12, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Reposted by Joyful Aroha
dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social
THREAD.

A collection of photos I have taken of excellent cats I have met on walks.

You will find the captions to the photos in the alt text.
A cat on a wall, ranting relatably to me about the way modern TV documentaries are so frantically, pathetically worried about losing the viewer’s attention, employ endless precaps and recaps, lazily emotionally manipulate the viewer with overplayed songs and talk to that viewer as if that viewer is a small child, rather than a fully grown human, or cat.
December 12, 2025 at 10:25 AM