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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 14h

I came off the DL to check out the big march in little San Leandro, California. Michelle Doppelt had already taken off her inflatable unicorn costume, but was looking forward to bringing him out again for the next protest. "We have to have fun and keep up hope," she said.

A protester with a sign saying "Honk for Democracy"

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 21h

@revealnews.org host @alletson.bsky.social and dozens of my colleagues are covering No Kings rallies all over the country. There are inflatables, giant copies of the Constitution, flags, and a lot of joy. And if, like me, you're on the DL today, @motherjones.com will have updates for you all day!

karamcguirkallison.bsky.social @karamcguirkallison.bsky.social · 22h

No kings @motherjones.com @revealnews.org p

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 12d

A lot of casual secession talk is some version of "let's throw the rest of the country [note: most of which did not ask for this either!] to the wolves". @clarajeffery.bsky.social smartly flips that into "let's use the power that we ACTUALLY HAVE to make change." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

It’s time for soft secession

How blue states can use their economic clout to stand up to Trump’s agenda—starting with California.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 13d

This. We need to confront and name the dangers. But I grew up around people who remembered Germany in 1935, and Italy in 1923. They could not have imagined the rights that we have—and must use.

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 13d

I agree with Josh but with one caveat: Words can demoralize people. I have political science-y disagreements with people who say "America is now fascist," but more to the point, I don't want people to internalize the idea that it's all done and dusted. Trump is far weaker than may people realize.

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 13d

Fighting with each other whether the Trump administration is/is not fascist/totalitarian seems kind of pointless. Labels aside, it is not a fully consolidated dictatorshp, whatever we want to call it and we need to work together to get them out.

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 14d

I was wondering what happened to Defund the Police www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/n...

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 22d

For some relief and hope this weekend, I highly recommend @timothypmurphy.bsky.social's excellent profile of a fighting Dem, www.motherjones.com/politics/202...; and @pemalevy.bsky.social's great look at former federal workers who maintain "alt" agency accounts. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

How to survive a Republican power grab

Texas Democrat Greg Casar spent his summer fighting for his job—and plotting a progressive revival.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 27d

I've been thinking about why the Jimmy Kimmel moment was such a gut punch, and it's partly because the government pressure for corporate self-censorship is so obvious. It's the logical continuation of the Paramount settlement–but also a significant escalation.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Good night and good luck

Why corporate media—including CBS owner Paramount—is bending the knee.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · 27d

If you find yourself looking for something to do to protect freedom of the press and expression in this country, I urge you to support newsrooms that are not caving or compromising. We can stay strong, but only when you have our back. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. secure.motherjones.com/flex/mj/key/...

Support Nonprofit Journalism - Donate to Mother Jones

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

secure.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Sep 15

The delightful @tonymartignetti.bsky.social invited me on his Nonprofit Radio podcast—we talked about the IRS going after Mother Jones in the 1980s (MoJo prevailed), this scary moment for nonprofits (and nonprofit media), and why not all is lost. tony.ma/NonprofitRad...

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Sep 10

Social media plus tragedy amplifies the worst. Look at someone you love and remind yourself that there is much more good in people than digital road rage would have you believe.

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Aug 24

This is a smart piece by @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social that applies to DC, but also more widely. Protest and resistance don't necessarily take the form of big marches, but that's what we (and media in particular) have conditioned ourselves to expect. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The resistance is active in DC—you’re just not looking closely enough

It's not massive protests on Pennsylvania Avenue, but happenstance hecklers and Nextdoor posts.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 19

@isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social and @nlanard.bsky.social first broke the story of Neri Alvarado and others sent to El Salvador for their tattoos celebrating love and family. Now they're sharing the stories of families who went through this four-month ordeal.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

"We were kidnapped"

On Friday, more than 200 Venezuelans disappeared to a megaprison in El Salvador returned home. The horror stories are already emerging.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 9

This is a must-read story—even if you vaguely know about Canary Mission, you'll learn a lot.

Sophie Hurwitz @hurwitz.bsky.social · Jul 9

I spent months investigating the Canary Mission blacklisting website — and today, a senior ICE official confirmed in court that the Department of Homeland Security has been using Canary Mission to target students. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

How a shadowy online blacklist became a legal threat to pro-Palestinian activists

“Are you familiar with the Canary?”

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 8

Trump doesn't need to censor corporate media. It's enough to threaten their bottom line. There is no better illustration of why we need (and need to support) independent newsrooms. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Good night and good luck

Why corporate media—including CBS owner Paramount—is bending the knee.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 8

I can't stop thinking about this image either, and none of us should.

Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · Jul 7

Photo caption: "Children flee a mass shooting"

As long as I've covered gun violence, I'm still gobsmacked by this image Pete Luna captured in Uvalde. I've never forgotten it. And now...

Texas Forbids Law That Keeps Guns Away From Unhinged People www.motherjones.com/politics/202... @motherjones.com

Texas forbids law that keeps guns away from unhinged people

Despite recent massacres in the state, GOP leaders ban a proven tool to help stop them.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 5

"We can celebrate the imperfect start of our national enterprise, despite the dark turn it has taken. As we do so, we ought to keep in mind a fundamental fact: There are more of us than them.... The question is whether the majority can triumph." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

A July 4 reflection

There are more of us than them.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 4

Happy (Media) Independence Day. Corporate owners may bend the knee, but as one of my journalism heroes showed, there's so much more power in the truth. Support the journalism you want to see. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The Bill Moyers that obituaries missed

The “secular preacher” of TV journalism was also a ferocious critic of corrupt politicians and corporate titans—and the spineless media that enable them.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 4

“Who will show us that corruption is not just episodic, but systemic? That capitalism has democracy by the throat because democracy no longer has any balls?” www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The Bill Moyers that obituaries missed

The “secular preacher” of TV journalism was also a ferocious critic of corrupt politicians and corporate titans—and the spineless media that enable them.

www.motherjones.com

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jul 1

Read what @timothypmurphy.bsky.social says about the smears on Mamdani and Democrats' "alarming lack of having-each-other’s-back." Wipe the tears of rage, then read it again, then put that blood-boiling energy into whatever good you can do in the world. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

It never stopped being birtherism

Donald Trump is repackaging a familiar smear against Zohran Mamdani.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Monika Bauerlein

Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · Jun 15

I disagree with this premise. Yes, we’re in a time of heightened political violence, and it’s important to scrutinize why. But there’s nothing “routine” about assassinations or school shootings. I’ve long reported on these and know many working to stop them. This is not a premise we should accept.

NYTimes headline calling political violence ‘almost routine’

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jun 15

If, after all these images of joyful protest that I've shared, you're curious how the parade is going in DC, my colleague @dfriedman.bsky.social (who's also done amazing reporting on the Jan 6 figures being paid to organize Trump's birthday party) is there, and "desultory" is a word that came up.

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jun 15

And last not least, Patti Martin of San Leandro made her sign all about...

A protester holding a sign with images of queens.

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jun 14

Lilly Johnson, 20, had a lot to say at her first ever protest. (The back of her sign read "Jesus Saves." Her parents used to worry that it might not be safe for her to protest, but the San Leandro, CA march felt "super energizing" and peaceful.

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jun 14

Retired Army officer Gerard came to the San Leandro protest with an Army flag, for his service, and a US flag, for his rule as an officer of the court. "I swore two oath to defend the Constitution, and I take that seriously."

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Monika Bauerlein @monikab.bsky.social · Jun 14

Melissa O' Kane (a @motherjones.com subscriber!) brought her mom, Marcia, out to her very first protest. It was a huge crowd for San Leandro, CA, a town of less than 100k. "It felt great to be part of a community, to see people greeting each other and being happy to be here."

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