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Rachel de Leon

@raeoflion.bsky.social
11K followers 475 following 72 posts

Video reporter and producer at The Center for Investigative Reporting How to reach me: Signal: @raeoflion.08 Email: rdeleon[ a t] cir [ d o t] org or raedeleon[ a t] protonmail[ d o t ] com

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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 29/09/2026
The senator who mistook the Atlanta Hawks for the Iowa Hawkeyes and tried to accuse Jack Smith of perjury? He could be the most dangerous man in the US Senate. What to know about Eric Schmitt:
motherjones.com
Is this the most dangerous man in the US Senate?
Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri is pushing a tribalistic ideology suggesting only descendants of white Christian pioneers are true Americans.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Amy Littlefield @amylittlefield.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I've been following Students for Life's Kristan Hawkins around the country for months, watching her put on makeup in an airport bathroom, door-knock for candidates in a gerrymandered neighborhood, and debate survivors of rape. It's been a wilder ride than I could have imagined. Read and watch:
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
WATCH: My latest video piece with @annayeo.bsky.social and @amylittlefield.bsky.social is out now! We followed anti-abortion leader Kristan Hawkins as she went across the country trying to change young people's minds about abortion.
motherjones.com
Meet Kristan Hawkins, the “Charlie Kirk of Abortion”
“I want [your] audience to be like, ‘Wow, I really don’t like her, but she had some good points.'"
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Abby Vesoulis @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
NEW: Regarding the claims that Rep. Max Miller withheld his toddler's "blue bunny," I have some new screenshots suggesting there was a pattern of Miller not giving the bunny back. There were pleas from multiple people on multiple dates. (Thread: 1/8)
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The things his ex-wives say about him are beyond disturbing.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 21/07/2026
Ashley Brouillette said one of her last interactions with her ex-husband was a three-minute voicemail in which David told her that someone should slit her and her daughters’ throats. Last week, she was asked if she recognized her David among the ICE agents after a fatal shooting in Maine. She did.
motherjones.com
What ICE should have known when it hired David Brouillette
The officer who killed a young father in Maine had been accused of abuse by two ex-wives. He was also eligible to skip weeks of training in Georgia.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
One guy who pled guilty to assaulting a woman and threatening to kill another, another guy whose behavior toward his ex was described as "disgracefully vicious", and a woman who may have destroyed evidence on her phone. These are all plaintiffs for anti-abortion mastermind Jonathan F. Mitchell.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll
cnn.com
Exclusive: Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll | CNN Politics
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources fam...
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I live in Hollywood so naturally @annamerlan.bsky.social and I went to the big blue building to do some social media-ing for the youth ourselves!
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
NEW: I recently started seeing more and more videos featuring youthful Scientologists from “orgs” around the world, especially on TikTok. It turns out this is part of an coordinated campaign, and I spoke to some of the people who helped develop it: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Scientology’s extremely online pivot to video
On TikTok and Instagram, the church seeks youthful recruits—and a forum to battle critics.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
There are lots of unresolved health and environmental concerns with glyphosate (a.k.a. Roundup), yet the government keeps letting farmers, companies, and public agencies spray it all over—including, as Mojo recently learned, in America’s forests.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 28/04/2026
The controversial weed killer Roundup is now being deployed in private and public forests at record rates. We go inside the secret plan that helped make it possible.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 19/04/2026
JD Vance – along with some other Catholic neophytes – have had a lot to say in recent weeks about their newfound religion. And it’s rubbing some cradle Catholics the wrong way.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
I know my brain is forever broken because I CANNOT even hear myself saying LinkedIn when I absolutely meant to say Linkin Park.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 16/04/2026
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office criminalized a 12-year-old rape survivor for “lying” and left her abuser free to assault her again. Ten years later, a federal judge has ruled she can sue over it.
motherjones.com
Survivor’s lawsuit against Florida sheriff moves forward
Ten years after being wrongfully charged, a survivor's lawsuit against the Polk County Sheriff moves forward
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
The sheriff's director of communications told me the office would continue defend themselves against the false and baseless allegations but when asked to elaborate, he did not respond.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Taylor Cadle was wrongfully charged with lying that her adoptive father had raped her at the age of 12. She proved her innocence and ten years later, a judge affirmed she can sue the sheriff's office.
motherjones.com
Survivor’s lawsuit against Florida sheriff moves forward
Ten years after being wrongfully charged, a survivor's lawsuit against the Polk County Sheriff moves forward
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 07/04/2026
1/ Management at @propublica.org is refusing to agree to fair contract language around artificial intelligence usage, so @newsguild.org President Jon Schleuss wrote to them today to urge them to get on the right side of history. www.propublicaguild.org/updates/news...
Dear Robin Sparkman and ProPublica board of directors:

Our world needs more investigative journalism in the public interest. Continuing ProPublica’s mission will require a strong, fair collective bargaining agreement that uplifts journalistic integrity.

And that means ProPublica needs to have contractual language prohibiting any potential for artificial intelligence to replace journalists and other workers who make ProPublica the important publication it is today.

As the rare union leader with a background in journalism and computer programming, I fully support the need to leverage technology to improve our ability to tell stories.

And there are many recent examples of how AI can be helpful in reporting, when used ethically. For example, ProPublica journalists published the “Deleting DEI” story, which chronicled how nonprofit organizations have removed language connected to diversity, equity and inclusion. Reporters used AI to help find DEI related scrubs from nonprofit statements. In “Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies,” reporters used AI to help categorize job types into groups. And then reporters manually checked them all.

ProPublica journalists, represented by the Guild, have shown how AI can be used ethically, and they deserve newsroom leadership who agrees with its ethical use.

Unfortunately, your leadership team is refusing common sense provisions at the bargaining table that would protect both jobs as well as the integrity of the journalism they produce. And now, 92% of ProPublica’s workers have voted to walk off the job in part due to the company’s stance on AI, in addition to its position on job security, layoff protections and wages.

ProPublica management should follow the example set by nonprofit news organizations such as Grist, the Associated Press and others. For example, CalMatters has agreed to:

• protect jobs from being eliminated because of AI
• protect the salaries of employees from being reduced because of AI• listen to workers’ input when evaluating the use of AI and get the consent of employees before handing off material to a third-party company for training AI systems
• a strong editorial integrity clause, ensuring that AI is clearly labeled and is not published unless several requirements are met
• obtain the consent of employees before impersonating someone using AI

CalMatters agreed to these protections more than a year ago. Why would ProPublica management refuse similar protections? 

Time is quickly running out for your leadership team to make a decision that will determine whether the public can trust ProPublica on this important issue.

I sincerely hope you decide to stand with the journalists and other workers who make ProPublica the investigative powerhouse that it has become.

Jon Schleuss
he/him
President
The NewsGuild - Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA)

cc: Paul Sagan
Claire Bernard
Tomiko Brown-Nagin
Mark Colodny
Steve Daetz
Angela Filo
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Anu Khosla
Jonathan Klein
Carrie Lozano
Claire Hoffman
Katie McGrath
Bobby Monks
James M. Stone
Charles Whitaker
Paul Steiger
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Punished for protesting, talking to the press, having a toothache: More Dilley horror stories www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Punished for protesting, talking to the press, having a toothache: More Dilley horror stories
A new batch of firsthand accounts from ICE's family detention center depict vindictive treatment.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Madison Pauly @msjpauly.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
The conversion therapy interest group profiled in this story with @hencarnell.bsky.social is cheering today's SCOTUS ruling. "Clients who have been forced to believe in LGBTQ ideology have faced irreversible harm in some cases," president David Pickup says. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
First they tried to "cure" gayness. Now they're fixated on "healing" trans people.
Inside the movement to resurrect conversion therapy.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Ian Gordon @idgordon.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
THRILLED that @motherjones.com was nominated for two National Magazine Awards: one for General Excellence, which we won last year, and the other for Profile Writing, for @julialurie.bsky.social and @raeoflion.bsky.social's searing portrait of Taylor Cadle, expertly edited by @journokateh.bsky.social
motherjones.com
Police didn’t believe a 12-year-old who said she'd been raped. Then she hit record.
“If I didn’t find the evidence for them, I wasn’t too sure they would find it.”
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Dang, this judge wrote wrote "again" nine times and footnoted each one. This is some infuriating reporting from @julialurie.bsky.social. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Amalia, 18 months, "nearly died" at Dilley migrant family jail, a lawyer for her family said in a statement to @people.com: people.com/toddler-hosp...
people.com
Toddler, Hospitalized with Life-Threatening Respiratory Failure, Was Returned to ICE Detention and Denied Prescribed Meds
A toddler at an ICE detention center in Texas was rushed to the hospital with respiratory failure, pneumonia and more, and when the 18-month-old and her parents had to return to the center, ICE office...
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Pam Spaulding @pamspaulding.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
1/2 Ignoring FOIA requests tracks w/this regime. "When ICE uses footage for public relations, it is especially important the agency disclose it for public accountability." — Victoria Baranetsky, general counsel, Center for Investigative Reporting 🧾 is.gd/PCDfLV ⚖️ Lawsuit: is.gd/xnR6Vw
courthousenews.com
News group sues ICE for raid footage
The Center for Investigative Reporting says ICE hasn't responded to public records requests and is violating federal transparency law.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Our legal team is suing ICE and CPB for footage from their raids. Let's see how Kristi Noem's transparency claim holds up.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
J. David McSwane @davidmcswane.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
propublica.org
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Incredible and distressing scoop from @samanthamichaels.bsky.social ://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/trump-us-attorneys-office-minnesota-prosecutors-resignations-ice-protesters-evidence-don-lemon/
motherjones.com
Trump's minions are pressuring prosecutors to charge ICE protesters based on scant evidence
Don Lemon is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
What women said "Melania" director Brett Ratner did to them www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
What women said "Melania" director Brett Ratner did to them
The First Lady’s documentary premiere marks the return of a director accused of sexual violence by six actresses in 2017.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Ashley Miller @amreports.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
An observer arrested in Suth Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Several agents hold a person down and sprays them with pepper spray.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
In one of the most appalling developments of past day, Elon Musk's AI chatbot desecrated Renee Nicole Good's body. That's in addition to harassing women and sexually exploiting minors. By @katieherchenroeder.bsky.social www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Grok deepfaked Renee Nicole Good's body into a bikini
Hours after an ICE agent killed the mother of three, Elon Musk’s chatbot was undressing her.
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Henry Carnell @hencarnell.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Everything aside, this is not even close an accurate average estimate of a phallo or metoidioplasty cost.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Can't get over @annamerlan.bsky.social recapping how Benny took the news of his firing. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
I wrote about Nicole Chase's lawsuit against her former boss and the Canton police department after she was charged with lying that she was sexually assaulted. She's now going through a life-changing diagnosis and is in medical debt. Please share: gofund.me/c57db5ff7
gofund.me
Donate to Help Nicole & Kids Rebuild After Medical Crisis, organized by Nicole Chase
My name is Nicole, and I’m reaching out for help for myself and my childr… Nicole Chase needs your support for Help Nicole & Kids Rebuild After Medical Crisis
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Reposted by Rachel de Leon
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 11/12/2025
Do you have a “creepy fetish for Asian women"? That was just one of several false and wildly personal allegations that Posobiec, a newly-minted member of the Pentagon press corps, said that he planned to include in “a story that I’m writing about" our reporter.
motherjones.com
I asked the Pentagon about Pete Hegseth's mentor. Then the threats started.
Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
"Posobiec’s email arrived the day after my inquiries… This was either an incredible coincidence or a deliberate message: Publish your article and get smeared.” ow.ly/EpQp50XHpYo
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I asked the Pentagon about Pete Hegseth's mentor. Then the threats started.
Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
This conversation is all too familiar to me, as someone who's read through dozens of reports where police have decided someone is lying about a sexual assault.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
My son is about to turn 1 and has Down syndrome. I came across this podcast hosted by two people with Down syndrome and was simultaneously overjoyed to see them live such cool lives, and heartbroken that my son might not be able to take advantage of those services with the looming Medicaid cuts.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Another tragic case of child sexual abuse that could have been prevented by police. This time in New York.
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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
As @raeoflion.bsky.social and I wrote in this article featuring Rae's video: A report from the California Health Care Foundation found that 10 percent cut to HCBS programs would lead to $1 billion more in Medicaid spending in the state... due to the greater overall costs of institutionalization.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Sometimes people will ask how I unwind after working on stories that are depressing and infuriating. Listening to stories like this one from @acleek.bsky.social is one method. I love when a journalist's insatiable curiosity is used for something unexpected and sweet. 🥰
revealnews.org
Reveal’s smallest, most personal investigations yet
Serious investigations into deeply Unserious questions. Hear the first in our occasional series of “inconsequential investigations.”
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
I hadn't read this before: "[...] states newly covered by the PWFA saw a 3.2 percent increase in births, suggesting that the law has helped reduce miscarriage rates by nearly 9.6 percent. The latest from @julialurie.bsky.social www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
A pregnant Amazon employee asked for a chair to sit on—and wound up homeless
"You're just a number to them."
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
"Unflinching" was the word we used to describe Taylor Cadle in @julialurie.bsky.social's and my reporting. It's really something to see her now, at 22-years-old, speaking so loudly for the child version of herself and for other child victims who may be in her position.
wtsp.com
'I have to be the voice': Woman sues Grady Judd, Polk deputies over botched rape case from 2016
Taylor Cadle was 12 when she told a sheriff’s office detective she'd been raped for years by her adoptive father. But deputies didn't believe her.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
This office has still never apologized to a child rape victim for labeling her a liar and prosecuting her.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Last year, we wrote about survivor Taylor Cadle. When she was 12, she told police she’d been raped. They said she was lying and charged her with false reporting. She then took the extraordinary measure of recording the next act of abuse. Now, Taylor has legal counsel and filed a lawsuit.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Brilliant breakdown of the #kavanaughstop from @pemalevy.bsky.social and @annayeo.bsky.social
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Fetal personhood laws can turn a miscarriage into a crime scene. As @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social writes, "being pregnant is not just a health status. Sometimes, it’s a criminal liability." @pregnancyjust.bsky.social's new reports sheds light on what police weigh when criminalizing pregnancy outcomes.
motherjones.com
When miscarriages become crimes
412 women faced criminal charges for pregnancy outcomes. This is what fetal personhood looks like.
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Abby Vesoulis @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
What happens when a miscarriage is treated like a crime? That’s not a hypothetical anymore. It’s happening in the U.S. right now. 🧵 www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
When miscarriages become crimes
412 women faced criminal charges for pregnancy outcomes. This is what fetal personhood looks like.
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Henry Carnell @hencarnell.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
For years, medical professionals and transgender advocates have been saying the "Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine" was not following the principles of evidenced-based medicine. Now the "godfather" of evidence-based medicine is leveraging the same claim against them. (1/)
motherjones.com
Trans health care "skeptics" lost a key ally—now they're having a meltdown
The godfather of evidence-based medicine on rejecting anti-trans "misuse" of his work.
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Rachel de Leon @raeoflion.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Famine and mass hunger in Gaza meanwhile this guy has multiple ventures involving drinks/supplements/? that are just for funsies and vibes.
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Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
We documented some of the calls for retribution that followed Charlie Kirk’s murder. With @kieraevebutler.bsky.social and @juliannemcshane.bsky.social www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
“THIS IS WAR”: Some right-wing figures call for retribution following Kirk killing
“More people will be murdered if the Left isn’t crushed with the power of the state.”
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