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Washington Post Data Team

@wpdatateam.bsky.social
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Stories, news and asides from the Washington Post's Data Team. We crunch the numbers to make sense of the news.

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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 2h
And a very fun methodology featuring Google Street View & k-means clustering!
About this story
The Washington Post used D.C. building permit data to find homes built within the past seven years. Those addresses were geocoded, and images were found using a combination of D.C. street images and Google Street View Static API. Each image was manually checked to ensure a usable image was analyzed. Using R programming, those images were then cropped and the color pixels of each home were extracted and analyzed using a k-means clustering method of analysis. The analysis allowed for various tints and shades of colors to be grouped into a base color. Using the base color and frequency of pixels, The Post selected the dominant colors from each ward from recently built homes. Efforts to reduce color contamination include cropping the images into the center of the homes to remove images from the background and foreground such as the sky, trees, cars and other homes.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 2h
You can read the full analysis here. Story by @marissajae.bsky.social & @jdharden.bsky.social. Graphics by @timmeko.bsky.social. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/int...
washingtonpost.com
The house color that tells you when a neighborhood is gentrifying
A Washington Post color analysis of D.C. found shades of gray permeate neighborhoods where markers of gentrification have spiked.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 2h
DC native Peggy Lovett's red-painted home used to be the norm. Now, its vividness stands out in a sea of gray. “I see a house going up that’s that color, and I know they have money,” said Lovett. “It’s a great big change, but it’s not just in my neighborhood — D.C. has really been changing.”
Peggy Lovett, 59, a Black woman with long hair wearing a t-shirt, poses in front of her house, which is bright red brick with a black front door.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 2h
That sort of house (gray, minimalistic, generic) is becoming more and more common in DC, especially in Wards 7 and 8. @jdharden.bsky.social found that in neighborhoods where Black residents are displaced and home prices rise, gray homes also spread. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/int...
Grid of paint swatches by Washington D.C. ward, sized by how many newly built homes were painted each color from 2017 to 2023, where the largest swatches in every ward are desaturated white, black, and gray. The effect is largest in Wards 7 and 8, which have the most new homes.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 2h
Why is every house gray now? @jdharden.bsky.social's analysis of how gentrification literally turns houses grey is getting a fresh wave of attention this week, after Ezra Klein highlighted it. Here's what he found. First: have you seen this house in your neighborhood?
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 02/10/2026
How much does college actually cost where you live? We created a tool that shows the average cost to attend over 2,100 U.S. colleges, factoring in the average amount students get in grants and scholarships and comparing it to the sticker price:
washingtonpost.com
Most college students get grants. See how they cut the price at 2,100 schools.
The Post created a list that shows the average cost to attend over 2,100 U.S. colleges. This tool allows you to see a school's sticker price compared with the average real price — factoring in the ave...
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 02/10/2026
Another month, another temperature record. Across the contiguous United States, September 2026 ranks as the warmest September on record, dating back to at least 1895, according to data.
washingtonpost.com
The U.S. just experienced its warmest and most humid September on record
Across the contiguous United States, September 2026 ranks as the warmest September on record, dating back to at least 1895.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Republicans have spent at least $76 million campaigning about transgender issues in competitive midterm races, according to a Washington Post analysis. In the Senate races in Texas and Ohio alone, Republican super PACs have spent $51 million. By @benbinday.bsky.social w/ analysis by Luke Connors:
washingtonpost.com
Red-state Democrats veer right on transgender issues, sparking backlash
Several are adopting more conservative rhetoric or publicly opposing transgender girls playing in girls’ sports.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 01/10/2026
House lawmakers spent $6.7 million of taxpayer money on meals and lodging last year — a 21 percent increase over 2024 — under a reimbursement program that doesn’t require them to provide receipts, a Post analysis found. Here’s who spent the most in 2025: wapo.st/47r8qsl
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here the 10 House members with the largest reimbursements last year. Story by Lydia Sidhom + @akoseff.bsky.social
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A 3-year-old no receipts program allows House members to supplement their $174,000 base salary by expensing food and housing costs while in Washington on official business, no specifics disclosed. House members spent $6.7 million of taxpayer money last year — a 21 percent increase over 2024.
washingtonpost.com
The House reimburses lawmakers for D.C. expenses. See who spent the most.
Taxpayers spent 21 percent more last year on the program, which helps cover the costs of food and lodging in Washington, a Post analysis found.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Since President Trump took over the Kennedy Center, the institution has borrowed everything its bank would lend it, dipped into money donors had given on the condition it never be spent and written off pledges from supporters who stopped paying. By @federicacocco.bsky.social & @naemas.bsky.social:
washingtonpost.com
The Kennedy Center was solvent when Trump took over. Then its finances collapsed.
The Post examined 15 years of the institution’s financial records to see why it went south after the president took over.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 29/09/2026
The Post reviewed the budgets of 12 U.S. cities with large homeless populations and found a 75 percent jump in spending on homeless services over the past five years. The increases have fueled debate over whether cities are spending effectively.
washingtonpost.com
Homelessness stubbornly persists even as U.S. cities spend more to end it
A Washington Post review of 12 cities found combined spending rose more than 75 percent in the past five years. Is it too little or too much?
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A Washington Post review of 12 cities found combined spending on homelessness rose more than 75 percent in the past five years. Despite that, the homeless population in the U.S. has continued to increase. By @chrishacker.io and Tim Craig: www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
Small multiple chart showing homelessness-related spending over the past 10 years
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Read the full story here: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
How a ban of diesel exports could lead to higher prices — even in the U.S.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s calling for a ban on diesel exports, and his administration confirmed they are “examining” the issue.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Finally, a ban would hit hardest for countries where there's no backup supplier, like Mexico, which gets almost all its imported diesel from the US. Europe, too, is relying more on American diesel as supplies from the Middle East are disrupted. The oil and gas industry opposes the proposed ban.
Bar chart ranking countries by the share of their imported diesel that came from the US in the year ending June 2026, from Mexico at 96% down to Argentina at 69%.Grouped bar chart of average monthly US distillate exports to 10 countries, 2025 versus 2026, where European buyers like the Netherlands and UK rose.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Any relief from an export ban would be brief — "very, very temporary," one S&P Global analyst told the Post. @rachellerman.bsky.social & @federicacocco.bsky.social break it down here: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
How a ban of diesel exports could lead to higher prices — even in the U.S.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s calling for a ban on diesel exports, and his administration confirmed they are “examining” the issue.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The US is the world's top diesel exporter, shipping 1.4M barrels a day (largely to Latin America & Europe.) Experts say a blanket ban on shipments could push domestic refineries to cut production, which would almost certainly lead to higher gasoline prices. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Line chart of monthly US distillate fuel exports since the 1990s, where the 12-month average held near 5 million barrels until the late 2000s, then climbed to around 40 and is now near a record.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Diesel just hit a record $6.53/gallon. Some politicians, including President Trump, have proposed banning diesel exports to bring relief to truckers and farmers. But economists say the move could backfire, pushing costs at the pump even higher. Here's why 🧵 www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Line chart of the weekly average retail price of diesel per gallon since 2021, showing New England consistently higher than the Gulf Coast, both spiking to records in 2026 at $6.52 and $6.18 after an earlier 2022 peak.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Which midterm races have seen the most ad spending? Well, Lydia Sidhom found the faceoff between Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown in Ohio has already seen nearly $200M (!) in spending. Texas and Maine have also seen huge sums. Read the full analysis here: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Bar chart of ad spending in the top 10 midterm races, where Ohio Senate leads at $197M, above Texas Senate at $140M, and Senate races fill seven of the top spots.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Breathtaking levels of detail in this dive into the "Office of Remigration," which is paying autocrats millions to accept deported migrants from other countries. You can explore these agreements using this database by @abtran.bsky.social, including $ amounts. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
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Andrew Ba Tran @abtran.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
How Trump's State Dept upended foreign aid, refugee resettlement and turned it into a machine fueling mass deportation. Here's the database on deals between other countries based on internal documents. Via @davidnakamura.bsky.social @mradamtaylor.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
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Ence Morse @ence.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We're still updating our megadonor tracker, following the billionaires spending to influence November's elections. Read the latest figures, and meet the biggest donors here ⬇️
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW: Megadonors have now pumped more than $1.7 billion into the midterms. The figure includes a newly disclosed $10M from the crypto billionaire Winklevoss twins, who gave MAGA Inc while crypto regulation was on the Hill. Meet all 50 of the top donors here: www.washingtonpost.com/elections/in...
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
After an initial spike, politicians have largely stopped talking about Trump's $5k pledge. It's part of a larger trend –– Republicans are talking less and less about Trump. New from @ence.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
After initial spike, Democrats and Republicans publicly ignore Trump's $5,000 pledge.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Why are burgers so expensive now? @federicacocco.bsky.social dug into the data data to find out. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2026/09...
Beef has gotten more expensive, driving up the cost of burgers.
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Ence Morse @ence.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Last week, Trump gave the GOP what he said was a surefire formula for winning the midterms: Act like Trump's on the ballot. Republicans don't buy it. They've posted about him less and less this year — even the super-MAGA politicians who spoke at the RNC. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Line chart of the monthly share of 2026 social media posts mentioning Trump, where all three groups mention him less than in January and by September Democrats do so about twice as often as Republicans, 20% to 9%.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The Washington Post's data reporting team is looking for next summer's intern. If you're a journalist who codes and has a knack for telling compelling stories through data analysis, apply! The deadline is Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/washin...
washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Newsroom Summer Internship Program 2027: Data Journalist
Application Instructions Please list all professional experience and explain any gaps in employment history. All of your application materials, which may include PDF files of work samples and/or links...
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Caitlin Gilbert @caitlingilbert.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
icymi this banger of a story from Lydia Sidhom found that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have paid over $270 million to more than 270k doctors and other prescribers to promote their GLP-1 products since 2018!! That’s more docs than *every* other drug!!!
Bar chart showing the number of doctors that have received payments for different drugs between 2018-2025. Over 270k docs were paid to promote GLP-1s, larger than every other drug.
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Federica Cocco @federicacocco.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Do you have a “NEET” in your life? Or maybe you’re young and feeling like you have no prospects ahead of you? @laurenkaorigurley.bsky.social and I want to talk to Americans under 30 who are neither in school nor working: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202... Help us understand what is going on.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
NEW: Kennedy flew aboard an Air Force-operated Gulfstream jet when he joined Iowa GOP candidates there last month, sources said. The Defense Dept. charges $9,000/hour for use of the jet. By @rachelroubein.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social @abtran.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
RFK Jr. uses military aircraft as he campaigns for GOP in midterms
The White House and Department of Health and Human Services lawyers signed off on the plan to let the health secretary use military jets, according to people familiar with the plan.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Trump-affiliated No Going Back PAC recently bought air time in Iowa's Senate race and spent money on House and Senate races in nine other states. Trump said he could spend up to $500 million on the midterms. By @iarnsdorf.bsky.social & @ence.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump team expands midterms spending to $57 million so far
The operation’s long-awaited spree extended competitive House races
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The summer of 2026 was the hottest on record in the U.S., a trend driven largely by high overnight temperatures. See where in the U.S. extreme heat dominated this summer. From @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social @bennollweather.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
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Ence Morse @ence.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
just unreal numbers here
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“I’m a lot like an evangelical preacher man,” Campos said. “They hire me to sell the science.” Pharma companies spent more than $270 million on payments to doctors and other prescribers to boost sales of GLP-1s, according to a Post analysis. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
The largely hidden force helping drive America’s craze for weight-loss drugs
Firms are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to convince doctors to prescribe GLP-1 drugs.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The number of 9/11 survivors who are receiving aid for cancer has roughly tripled over the last five years to 27,300, according to a Post analysis, a trend that sharply outpaced cancer claims among first responders. By @chrishacker.io and Daniel Wu www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
Cancer’s toll on 9/11 survivors is accelerating 25 years later
The number of victims receiving aid has tripled in recent years, a Post analysis finds, as the illness’s toll becomes more apparent.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The ruling pauses an appeals court decision that blocked parties from receiving discounts on ads that they buy with individual candidates, who have long benefited from such discounts. By @julez.bsky.social @ence.bsky.social @matthewchoi.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
In boost to GOP, Supreme Court says parties should get lower TV ad rates
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that political parties should get discounted TV ad rates when they coordinate spending with candidates.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
OpenAI’s policies prohibit candidates from using the company’s tools to generate ads, but a Post analysis found 39 reported paying for an OpenAI subscription and two said they used it for advertising. By @cqzakrz.bsky.social @ence.bsky.social and Lydia Sidhom www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
ChatGPT bans campaigns from using AI to make ads. They’re doing it anyway.
A Washington Post review found 39 campaigns that disclosed payments to AI companies, but consultants say many more do it and don’t disclose it.
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
ICYMI we reported on how TikTok captures users’ attention last year…and we just won a National Press Club award for it! now, Meta’s legally mandated screen time limits for kids could be adopted by TikTok too. @ence.bsky.social @caitlingilbert.bsky.social
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
💸 NEW: @ence.bsky.social reporting that Elon's super PAC is back with $800k in spending to back Republicans (including Ken Paxton, Susan Collins and Jon Husted) ahead of the midterms www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Elon Musk’s super PAC enters the midterms with Senate race spending
After unleashing $260 million in 2024, America PAC is beginning to spend again.
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Scott Clement @sfcpoll.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
fyi The Post has a pretty good subscription deal right now, $20 for a whole year. $33 gets 3 extra accounts subscribe.washingtonpost.com
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
NEW: @chrishacker.me analyzed more than 1,300 bills to find that the majority of data center bills introduced in statehouses this year seek to restrict them in some way—read the story for a detailed breakdown of the legislation in IL, VA, WV and PA! wapo.st/4qV0Tev
Chart showing the number of data center bills introduced each year categorized by status (eg passed, restrictive v facilitative)
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Nearly 4 in 10 of the AI users who said they use chatbots for emotional and social reasons said they have told AI things they wouldn’t tell other people.
Bar chart showing chatbot-use cases among U.S. adults who use AI for personal, emotional or social purposes--the top category is "to entertain myself" at 66%, followed by "for advice on personal matters" at 38%
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
NEW: @jeremybmerrill.com analyzed results from a new Elon University poll to show that 27% of US adults use AI chatbots for personal, emotional or social queries (including seeking relationship advice, romantic chats, entertainment, or connection when lonely) wapo.st/4y6BW1K
Bar chart showing share of U.S. adult population who use chatbots for personal queries including entertainment, discussing their emotions and personal or social advice vs other things or not using AI at all
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
another example of possible AI use to generate inaccurate/nonexistent citations by HHS, from @caitlingilbert.bsky.social
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
ICYMI ⛽ @federicacocco.bsky.social with the latest on how the Freedom Fuel Network could lower prices after Trump's call for cheaper fuel...in a new lawsuit, a fuel supplier alleges that it was not paid for gas that was ultimately delivered to these stations. wapo.st/4xuaHye
wapo.st
Trump lauded low prices at Freedom Fuel. A supplier says some gas wasn’t paid for.
Mansfield Oil Company of Gainesville claimed in a federal lawsuit this month that it was never paid for more than a million gallons of fuel from a terminal in Pennsylvania between late May and early J...
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
NEW: @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social analyzed the data to show how an insurance policy with fewer homeowner protections + less oversight is booming in CA, FL, TX, and SC wapo.st/3UuZKOr
Line chart showing the growth of surplus line insurance policies in California, growing tenfold since 2021
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
ICE is arresting more and more immigrants with no criminal record www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
El-Sayed’s win triggered wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric online. Read our exclusive analysis here: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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