Stephanie Mencimer
@smencimer.bsky.social
Senior reporter Mother Jones. Utah native. Send me tips at [email protected] or securely on Signal at smencimer.48 or [email protected]
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop
After the George Floyd protests, a former military contractor named Nathan Seabrook brought the war home.
www.motherjones.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Veterans who have fought in foreign wars are coming home to work as private security personnel. What happens when they bring war tactics to guard the local mall? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop
After the George Floyd protests, a former military contractor named Nathan Seabrook brought the war home.
www.motherjones.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Veterans who have fought in foreign wars are coming home to work as private security personnel. What happens when they bring war tactics to guard the local mall? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Michael Bell, sentenced to death for murder, spent time at a Florida reform school so violent that the state later apologized for the abuse and paid millions to the victims.
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Dozens of Teens From Abusive Florida School Ended Up on Death Row
At least 34 boys from the Dozier School were later sentenced to death. Did abuse make them more violent?
www.themarshallproject.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Michael Bell, sentenced to death for murder, spent time at a Florida reform school so violent that the state later apologized for the abuse and paid millions to the victims.
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Tell that to my back.
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Tell that to my back.
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
"Mientras Trump defiende a los trabajadores extranjeros en TV, su empresa busca cifra récord para 2025"
me, para Forbes
me, para Forbes
Mientras Trump defiende a los trabajadores extranjeros en TV, su empresa busca cifra récord para 2025
Cuando el presidente Trump defendió el martes en Fox News la necesidad de trabajadores extranjeros, se hizo eco de las prácticas de su propia empresa: este año contrató 184 trabajadores para Mar-a-Lag...
forbes.com.mx
November 13, 2025 at 3:43 PM
"Mientras Trump defiende a los trabajadores extranjeros en TV, su empresa busca cifra récord para 2025"
me, para Forbes
me, para Forbes
They came to the United States as kids. Now, Trump is targeting them for deportation. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Then they came for the Dreamers
Immigrants brought here as children were told they wouldn’t be deported. Now, they’re being targeted anyway.
www.motherjones.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM
They came to the United States as kids. Now, Trump is targeting them for deportation. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump’s vendetta against EVs is driving up costs for every vehicle owners www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump’s vendetta against EVs is driving up costs for every vehicle owner
The problem isn't government regulations—it's instability.
www.motherjones.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Trump’s vendetta against EVs is driving up costs for every vehicle owners www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Republican mad libs: Kid Rock had Donald Trump appoint Mike Johnson’s landlord to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...
www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...
Is Kid Rock the Most Powerful Person in Tennessee?
Lee Beaman sat down with the Nashville Business Journal to discuss how he got a recent TVA board nomination, and it turns out it wasn’t his tenant Mike Johnson who secured the gig for him. It was Kid ...
www.nashvillescene.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Republican mad libs: Kid Rock had Donald Trump appoint Mike Johnson’s landlord to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...
www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...
I wrote this last year. I guess I wasn't reaching. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Enjoy your air travel this Thanksgiving. Next year will likely be much, much worse.
Under the next Trump administration, airlines will once again be free to abuse you.
www.motherjones.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I wrote this last year. I guess I wasn't reaching. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Note: By my count, this brings number of clergy who claim to have been and/or have been *filmed* being hit with projectiles shot by ICE/DHS or Illinois state police to *7.*
My latest report:
Baptist Pastor Shot in Leg by Officer During All Saints’ Day March Outside ICE Facility
publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/baptist-pa...
Baptist Pastor Shot in Leg by Officer During All Saints’ Day March Outside ICE Facility
publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/baptist-pa...
Baptist Pastor Shot in Leg by Officer During All Saints’ Day March Outside ICE Facility
As Baptist pastor Michael Woolf marched on All Saints’ Day in an anti-ICE protest in the Chicago area, he suddenly felt a sting in his leg as a pepper ball round struck him.
publicwitness.wordandway.org
November 4, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Note: By my count, this brings number of clergy who claim to have been and/or have been *filmed* being hit with projectiles shot by ICE/DHS or Illinois state police to *7.*
If the Trump administration wants more babies, it shouldn’t let poor families go hungry www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
If the Trump administration wants more babies, it shouldn’t let poor families go hungry
Denying food and health benefits to single moms doesn't exactly scream: "pro-natalism."
www.motherjones.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:02 PM
If the Trump administration wants more babies, it shouldn’t let poor families go hungry www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
On tariffs, the Supreme Court must choose between the president and their plutocratic patrons www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
On tariffs, the Supreme Court must choose between the president and their plutocratic patrons
This case is all about power and loyalty.
www.motherjones.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM
On tariffs, the Supreme Court must choose between the president and their plutocratic patrons www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Data from ICE shows that none of its agents have ever been killed by an immigrant in the agency’s more than two-decade history.
How dangerous is it really to work for ICE?
According to ICE’s own data, none of its officers have been killed by an immigrant in the agency’s history.
www.motherjones.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Data from ICE shows that none of its agents have ever been killed by an immigrant in the agency’s more than two-decade history.
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
With no word leaking out on a deal, it kinda feels like negotiators are putting off studying for the big test and are going to *cram* in the last minute for the big test.
Trump’s Colorado River deadline is almost here. Is Utah ready for cuts?
Because of drought, mandatory water cuts are nothing new in Utah. But the potential of large-scale reductions across the Colorado River Basin would present a steep challenge.
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 7:29 PM
With no word leaking out on a deal, it kinda feels like negotiators are putting off studying for the big test and are going to *cram* in the last minute for the big test.
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
ICYMI, the Utah State Engineer is warning people of a possible worst-case scenario if negotiations over the Colorado River fall apart. It includes curtailments (including to a not-so-insignificant part of the Wasatch Front’s drinking water supply): www.fox13now.com/news/colorad... #utpol #Utah
October 31, 2025 at 4:06 PM
ICYMI, the Utah State Engineer is warning people of a possible worst-case scenario if negotiations over the Colorado River fall apart. It includes curtailments (including to a not-so-insignificant part of the Wasatch Front’s drinking water supply): www.fox13now.com/news/colorad... #utpol #Utah
This is so utterly depressing.
EXCLUSIVE: After Trump took over the Kennedy Center in Feb, he vowed to make it "hot" again. So, how's it doing? @jeremybmerrill.com and I used data from the center's ticketing website to find out. Ticket sales are lowest they've been since the pandemic.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Kennedy Center ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover
Nearly nine months into Trump’s oversight, sales for the three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been since the pandemic, according to a Washington Post analysis.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This is so utterly depressing.
Sean Duffy once danced naked on MTV's "Real World." Now he's using official government resources to make religious videos and promote Christianity through the Transportation Department. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Sean Duffy’s holy war at the Transportation Department
“Could we bring Jesus up from the basement?”
www.motherjones.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Sean Duffy once danced naked on MTV's "Real World." Now he's using official government resources to make religious videos and promote Christianity through the Transportation Department. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
NEW: I spoke with the inestimable Terry Gross (!) on @nprfreshair.bsky.social about my year-long investigation of Russ Vought, the "shadow president" of Trump's second presidency.
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Who's the man behind President Trump's dismantling of the federal government?
In a New Yorker article co-published with ProPublica, reporter Andy Kroll describes Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, as a "shadow president" with oversized influence.
www.npr.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:30 PM
NEW: I spoke with the inestimable Terry Gross (!) on @nprfreshair.bsky.social about my year-long investigation of Russ Vought, the "shadow president" of Trump's second presidency.
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
The Justice Department targets cartels by prosecuting them.
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
October 31, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The Justice Department targets cartels by prosecuting them.
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
it's the unitary executive, the tribune of the people, the all-powerful sovereign, the sun and the moon. it can bomb fishermen and deport citizens. but it cannot, it turns out, free up money to pay for SNAP—there are laws, after all.
October 30, 2025 at 8:07 PM
it's the unitary executive, the tribune of the people, the all-powerful sovereign, the sun and the moon. it can bomb fishermen and deport citizens. but it cannot, it turns out, free up money to pay for SNAP—there are laws, after all.
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Read my latest story investigating how a political action committee tried to funnel $14K in campaign donations from an Arizona Christian nationalist pastor to an Ogden City Council candidate in a scheme to circumvent campaign contribution limits.
Records show a PAC funneled $14K in campaign donations from an Arizona Christian nationalist pastor to an Ogden City Council candidate in a scheme to get around campaign contribution limits.
www.utahpoliticalwatch.news/pac-routed-1...
www.utahpoliticalwatch.news/pac-routed-1...
PAC routed $14.2K from far-right pastor to Ogden campaign
A political action committee donated more than $14K to Ogden City Council candidate Jase Reyneveld. Records link cash to Christian nationalist pastor.
www.utahpoliticalwatch.news
October 30, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Read my latest story investigating how a political action committee tried to funnel $14K in campaign donations from an Arizona Christian nationalist pastor to an Ogden City Council candidate in a scheme to circumvent campaign contribution limits.
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
If you’re looking to understand why Brett Kavanaugh is Trumpier than ever, look no further than how he’s feeding Donald Trump judicial nominees. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Kavanaugh’s Chambers Are a Big Pipeline for Trump Circuit Judges
Justice Brett Kavanaugh has emerged as a major source of judicial nominees in the second Trump administration, with the president repeatedly looking to the justice’s former clerks to fill influential ...
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM
If you’re looking to understand why Brett Kavanaugh is Trumpier than ever, look no further than how he’s feeding Donald Trump judicial nominees. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
The staid Department of Transportation is a tough place from which to launch a culture war. But with official religious DOT videos and USMMA football game prayers, Secretary Sean Duffy is giving it his best shot: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Sean Duffy’s holy war at the Transportation Department
“Could we bring Jesus up from the basement?”
www.motherjones.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The staid Department of Transportation is a tough place from which to launch a culture war. But with official religious DOT videos and USMMA football game prayers, Secretary Sean Duffy is giving it his best shot: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
There's a lot going on these days, so Sean Duffy may have flown under the radar. But he's been using taxpayer resources to promote Christianity in what once would have been seen as a shocking constitutional violation even during the last Bush administration. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Sean Duffy’s holy war at the Transportation Department
“Could we bring Jesus up from the basement?”
www.motherjones.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:28 PM
There's a lot going on these days, so Sean Duffy may have flown under the radar. But he's been using taxpayer resources to promote Christianity in what once would have been seen as a shocking constitutional violation even during the last Bush administration. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Sean Duffy’s holy war at the Transportation Department www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Sean Duffy’s holy war at the Transportation Department
“Could we bring Jesus up from the basement?”
www.motherjones.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Sean Duffy’s holy war at the Transportation Department www.motherjones.com/politics/202...