Mother Jones
This Oscar-Winning Doc Says Now’s the Time to Resist
- Title
- This Oscar-Winning Doc Says Now’s the Time to Resist
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- ► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
“Sometimes it is difficult to notice when fascism is knocking on your doorstep.”
Pavel Talankin is a teacher from a small mining town in Central Russia. He spent two and a half years documenting how his school was conscripted into Putin’s war propaganda machine for the Oscar-nominated documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, his school changed almost overnight– teachers ordered to deliver government scripts and students marched through military drills. Talankin was required to film it all as the school videographer, and what he witnessed made him want to walk away from his job entirely. Instead, he connected with documentary director David Borenstein, and together they turned his footage into a feature film.
Borenstein said Talankin “wanted to show how quickly totalitarianism can take over a school, a workplace, a government, and how...
- Title
- "This may be the worst planned war in history"
- Runtime
- 3:11
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- ► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
Donald Trump says he’s bombing Iran to prevent the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapons.
But he may be providing with Tehran more incentive to sprint toward developing a nuclear bomb, which is now easier for Iran to make, ever since he ripped up the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in his first term.
Iran responded by enriching its uranium to a much higher level than it had been doing under the agreement. And it now possesses a large stockpile of highly enriched uranium that’s a lot closer to the level of refinement needed for bomb-grade material. And international nuclear inspectors—who were able to keep track of Iran’s uranium stockpile before Trump bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities last June—aren’t sure where this uranium is now.
In short, with his war in Iran, Trump has created a big, possibly catastrophic problem: A half-ton of highly enriched uranium, which ...
- Title
- Fake War Videos Are Degrading Our Trust In Reality
- Runtime
- 2:42
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- A US aircraft carrier destroyed by Iranian missiles. American bombs leveling a nuclear power plant. The Burj Khalifa engulfed in fire.
None of it happened, but that didn’t stop people from spreading fake videos online.
In the days since Trump's weekend strikes on Iran, AI-generated videos realistically depicting entirely fabricated events have been spreading like wildfire on X and other social media platforms.
For years, X (formerly Twitter) was one of the most valuable tools for real-time information during breaking news events. But that era seems to be over. Since Elon Musk's takeover of the company, the platform's usefulness as a reliable news source has steadily eroded. Moderation has been gutted, the algorithm rewards engagement over accuracy, and resources funneled into their own, uniquely problematic AI platform: Grok.
And in a disturbing sign of how deep the problem goes, Grok has been misidentifying AI-generated content as...
- Title
- DHS wants your face.
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- License plate readers. Cellphone location data. Social media monitoring. Now real-time facial recognition on the street. DHS is building a surveillance apparatus—and you're probably already in it.
Watch the full video on our profile.
- Title
- “How Am I Going to Sell My House With This Crap in My Backyard?”
- Runtime
- 2:19
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- ICE wants to turn warehouses into detention centers. The suburbs are fighting back.
In February, DHS purchased the Roxbury warehouse for $129.3 million—more than double its assessed value. As part of President Donald Trump’s effort to deport millions of people, DHS is buying up enormous warehouses across the country to turn them into immigration jails.
"I've raised two kids...and I'm doing everything I can to not hand them over a world that is a horrible dystopian, gray, ashen landscape," said one protester.
Other protesters told us they hoped the immediacy of a massive immigration processing center in the neighborhood would force more conservative Roxbury residents to grapple with the inhumanity of Trump’s agenda.
You can read more about this story at MotherJones.com!
(https://bit.ly/40jJek3)
- Title
- Can Someone Please Explain Marco Rubio? Let Me Try.
- Runtime
- 2:43
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The complex history of US imperialism in Latin America is bigger than any one person. But we can’t understand our current chapter in that history without understanding Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles from Miami, is the senior US government official in charge of foreign policy. That includes the capture of Maduro, the oil blockade against Cuba, and regime change efforts elsewhere. He appears to be project managing US intervention in Cuba, with the president’s trust and backing. He’s flying to meet with leaders of Caribbean nations as I write this. And Trump is floating Rubio’s name for a possible presidential run in 2028. And to understand how this man at the highest levels of government is reshaping global politics, we need to understand something he and I have in common: the experience of growing up Cuban American in Miami.
What does it mean to be an heir to the Cuban diaspora, a group both targeted by and largely enco...
- Title
- DHS built a face scanning app. You might already be in it.
- Runtime
- 6:31
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- ► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
They came to his workplace armed with guns, gas canisters and artificial intelligence. He fought back with his quick wit and street smarts.
What happened next is a preview of what routine face scans could look like on American streets, in this special France 24–Mother Jones report.
Abdikafi Abdurahman Abdullahi, known as Kafi, is one of the few people willing to speak publicly about being subjected to the Department of Homeland Security’s new facial recognition tool, Mobile Fortify.
The Somali-American engineer-turned-Uber driver was waiting for a fare in an airport rideshare lot on January 7th, just hours after Renee Good was shot and killed by federal agents. As he watched a video of her death on his phone, there was a knock on his car door. Outside stood roughly a dozen ICE agents, demanding proof of his citizenship.
Kafi, who is Black and Muslim, ref...
- Title
- Who's Celebrating Trump's Strikes? It Depends Which Generation You Ask
- Runtime
- 3:11
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- When I turned 16, I didn’t get my driver’s license. This enraged my grandfather, who worked for decades as a driving instructor and bus driver. It also delighted him, because it meant he could keep picking me up from school. His car speakers always blared conservative talk radio, which in the runup to the 2016 election—and after spending eight hours closeted in an all-boys Catholic school—was the last thing I wanted to hear. Mostly I just sat silently, listening to what my grandfather agreed with and wondering what he would think of me if he were ever to truly know me.
It’s easy to remember the car radio and forget the time he took every day to wash out the tumbler, fill it with a cold drink, drive across town to spend a fraction of my day with me, and drive across town again back to Little Havana. During my grandfather’s life, I focused on political divides between us. After his passing, I’ve thought more about what united us. I came home to Miami to learn m...
- Title
- House Intelligence member says Trump is "keeping us in the dark" on Iran
- Runtime
- 2:31
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- ► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/house-intelligence-committee-iran-investigation-democrats-midterms/
If Democrats win the midterms, this House Intelligence committee member says there will be an investigation of the pre-war intelligence Trump used to justify his attack on Iran.
"We not only have an obligation but we do have a right to conduct these investigations," says Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.). "I'm looking forward to holding them accountable."
In an interview with Mother Jones, Gomez contends that there is no reason to believe Trump's claim of an imminent threat, and maintains that Trump was just spinning the nation into a war of choice. If the Democrats win the House, Gomez says the House intelligence committee is likely to mount an investigation into Trump's use and possible misrepresentation of intelligence regarding other national security matters as well, including the attack on Venezuela.<...
- Title
- We timed how long Trump talked about fallen service members vs. his ballroom decor
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- At a Medal of Honor ceremony on Monday, Donald Trump spent more time talking about his new ballroom than the recent deaths of at least six US service members amid his attack on Iran.
At the ceremony, meant to honor three Army soldiers, he briefly acknowledged the deaths before gushing about the drapes he will add to his new ballroom in the White House’s East Wing.
“I picked those drapes in my first term—I always liked gold,” Trump said. “I believe it’s going to be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world.”
The US and Israeli strikes on Iran have reportedly killed over 100 schoolchildren in Minab, a city in southern Iran. The fighting has resulted in the deaths of at least six US service members, following Iran’s initial attacks in response to the strikes on Saturday.
The president mentioned again during the ceremony that military operations were projected to last four to five weeks but sounded open to a “fa...
- Title
- Trump strikes Iran while Florida reels from Venezuela
- Runtime
- 3:19
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Trump is fighting a new war in Iran. But in Florida, the political aftershocks of his last strike in Venezuela are still ricocheting through a state that can tilt a midterm map.
From the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to a blockade on oil shipments to Cuba, President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape Latin America are impacting millions. Meanwhile, Cuba’s healthcare system has been strangled by the US-orchestrated fuel crisis
Across the globe, protestors have condemned the administration’s recent actions. But in my hometown, I saw a different story. Miami is home to the US’ largest Venezuelan community, which largely wanted Maduro gone, according to recent polling. It’s also home to a Cuban community that I was born into and helped raise me—one that has historically encouraged regime change.
At the same time, these communities—which had organized together to shape US foreign policy toward Latin America—now share anot...
- Title
- How Trump attempts to interfere with the midterms
- Runtime
- 2:55
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- From Minnesota to Georgia, Trump’s plans to interfere in the midterms are becoming more dangerous.
In early February, the Trump administration deployed the FBI to seize nearly 700 boxes of ballots and voting records from the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, which has been an epicenter of the president’s conspiracy theories about the election he lost.
‘‘Why do they want Fulton County?” said Democratic State Rep. Saira Draper. “Well, that’s obvious. It’s the biggest county in Georgia, and it houses Atlanta. If you control Fulton County that basically guarantees for Republicans they win every statewide race.”
And mere days before, in fact on the same day that a federal immigration officer killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded that Minnesota hand over its full, unredacted voter roll to the Department of Justice as a way to “bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota.”
This demand ...
- Title
- Gregory Bovino Asked Me to Bake Him a Pie
- Runtime
- 2:54
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- This interaction with Gregory Bovino on X was beyond strange.
It all started when Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tweeted that "Gregory Bovino has to go." Bovino—the erstwhile roving warlord atop Donald Trump's Border Patrol junta—had other ideas. And those ideas involved armed federal agents. And pie.
"Nah, gubner, too busy leading agents to arrest illegal aliens," Bovino responded. "Besides, Chicago may need another double digit drop in a whole smorgasbord of violent crime, compliments of the Green Machine. Perhaps we could meet for a sugar-free slice of heirloom apple pie -on me!"
Bovino's threat to launch a renewed Border Patrol occupation of Chicago, apparently as retribution for a politician criticizing him, was certainly news. And journalist Amanda Moore—who has spent months covering Bovino and federal law enforcement for Mother Jones and other outlets—quickly pointed that out.
What happened next was bizarre—and a bit creep...
- Title
- Rep. Ilhan Omar calls out President Trump during his State of the Union
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Rep. Ilhan Omar tears into Trump with a defiant protest: "You have killed Americans!"
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night toggled between being remarkably dull and profoundly racist. During a screed against undocumented immigrants, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) shouted at Trump, yelling, “You have killed Americans,” and “You should be ashamed.”
The confrontation began after Trump scolded Democrats for not standing and applauding during a portion of his speech during which he claimed that the “first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” Trump said to Democrats in the audience, as the rest of the room rose to their feet and applauded for over a minute. “That is why I’m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals,” he continued. As he spoke, Omar could be heard shoutin...
- Title
- Why was Kash Patel paid $25,000?
- Runtime
- 2:18
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Once again we are asking: Why was Kash Patel paid $25,000 by a company linked to the Russian government?
When a payment from a Russian-linked production company for $25,000 showed up on Kash Patel's disclosures during his confirmation hearing, we did some digging. And soon, the story began to unravel.
Americans still deserve an answer to this question—especially as Patel flies around the world to party on the taxpayer's dime.
- Title
- Christian Nationalism at The Pentagon
- Runtime
- 2:52
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Christian nationalism has landed at the Pentagon—and they’re not even hiding it anymore. Just look at this photo.
That’s Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist thought leader and influential pastor to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Here they were pictured together at a recent prayer event at the Pentagon, and it’s a moment that for Mother Jones’ Kiera Butler illustrates just how integrated Christian nationalists have become in our federal government.
Butler has reported for years on the strong ties between Wilson and his web of Christian nationalist influencers– dubbed the “TheoBros.” (Including, yes Vice President JD Vance.)
But there’s another connection Wilson has with the current mainstream political moment. On January 18, former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles for covering a protest that disrupted services at Cities Church in St. Paul. The arrest drew widespread attention because of how Lemon’s First Am...
- Title
- This scandal-laden congressman could still win reelection this year
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- “I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.”
Mother Jones' reporter Noah Lanard spoke with 18 people who've known Florida Republican Congressman Cory Mills. Nearly everyone, Noah found, dislikes him.
In our divided age, Mills is the rare unifying figure in politics. Members of both parties have tried to censure him. And that's just the start. Veterans have accused him of stolen valor. His international arms company is facing foreclosure. He received a restraining order from an ex-girlfriend last year.
And despite all that, come November, Mills could be elected to a third term in a district that President Donald Trump won easily.
Watch and read Noah's profile of Mills here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/cory-mills-florida-investigation-profile-stolen-valor-trump-sex-workers-pacem-restraining-order-miss-us/
- Title
- The US government keeps using dangerous chemicals on protestors
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- All that gas you keep seeing agents use against protesters? Yeah, it's quite dangerous.
On January 31, federal agents fired tear gas into a crowd of civilians, clergy, and children gathered outside the ICE building in Portland, Oregon. Witnesses say, and video shows, that the demonstration was largely peaceful before the gas was deployed. In the weeks since, a federal judge moved to restrict the use of these chemical munitions at the site following reports that agents used them against demonstrators who posed no imminent threat.
Under the second Trump administration, displays of force against protesters have become increasingly common. So it's important to know which chemicals are being deployed against those exercising their First Amendment rights—because they're not benign.
Tear gas, the most widely deployed crowd-control weapon, can cause more harm than temporary irritation. Beyond burning eyes and skin, it has been linked to corneal ulcers a...
- Title
- Trump Just Nuked a Key EPA Rule. Climate Desk Reporters Explain the Fallout.
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- On February 12, Donald Trump dropped the climatic equivalent of an atomic bomb. He announced the repeal of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 endangerment finding, the basis of the EPA’s ability to regulate climate-warming emissions. “This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history,” proclaimed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“This is corruption, plain and simple,” countered Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The administration’s move is an attempt, essentially, to subvert reality. The Obama-era finding established that atmospheric greenhouse gases are bad for human health and welfare, allowing them to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. In 2025, a panel of scientists affirmed the finding, writing: “The evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused [greenhouse gases] is beyond scientific dispute.”
Condemnation of Trump’s announcement was s...
- Title
- Meet the people marching to support billionaires. (We're not joking.)
- Runtime
- 2:46
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- “Fuck the poor! Fuck the poor!”
That’s how the March for Billionaires kicked off on February 7 in Pacific Heights, one of San Francisco’s wealthiest neighborhoods, near a stretch of mansions known as Billionaires’ Row.
We went to see whether the event was satire or sincere. The answer was… yes, reports Amanda Pike.
Rally organizers insisted they were genuinely marching to defend the ultra-rich and protest California’s proposed “billionaire tax,” a one-time 5 percent levy on residents worth more than $1 billion. They argued it would drive the wealthy out of the state and cost California hundreds of millions in lost tax revenue.
Of the roughly 200 billionaires who live in California, none appeared to attend. However, a small group of counterprotestors came decked out in tiaras, fake moustaches, and Mr. Monopoly vibes. They sipped champagne and warned that billionaires are an endangered species. One heiress lamented ...
- Title
- How the SAVE Act could complicate voting for millions of Americans
- Runtime
- 2:58
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- You need to know about the SAVE Act.
The Republican-controlled US House recently passed a new version of the sweeping voter restriction bill, which would require people to "show their papers" to register to vote and cast a ballot.
Here's a crash course from reporter Ari Berman on how the SAVE Act, if passed, could disenfranchise millions of Americans—for a virtually nonexistent problem.
- Title
- The US government keeps sharing Nazi propaganda
- Runtime
- 2:58
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- ► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
This past year, official social media accounts from the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and other government agencies have adopted a distinct voice online. The posts look like memes, utilizing dramatic AI-generated art, general patriotic slogans, and cinematic language about “defending the homeland” and shaping America’s future.
But if you look closer, a pattern emerges.
#DHS #KristiNoem #ICE #StephenMiller #ww2
--
For more award-winning independent reporting, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motherjones/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/motherjones
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherjonesmag
- Title
- This "Fish-fluencer" Telling ICE to Fuck Off Is the Best Thing You'll Watch Today
- Runtime
- 2:57
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- This “fish-fluencer” loves ice but he really, really hates ICE.
“I'm just a local ding dong, you know, I'm nothing special,” said Nate Pischke (@shorelunch_with_nate_p). “We make dumb fishing and cooking content.”
Pischke has found a uniquely Minnesotan way to protest the ICE surge in Minneapolis, using his platform as a fishing influencer to call attention to what he describes as a federal siege of his hometown.
“I don’t feel comfortable putting out fishing content when, you know, our neighbors are getting kidnapped by goons on the street. And so we pivoted quickly to start talking about this,” he said.
He and his collaborator Erik Sudheimer have built a small but dedicated audience of a few thousand people who tune into his YouTube show, @SHORELUNCHwithNateP, for fishing tips, outdoor cooking lessons, and a good amount of profanity-laced laughs.
But that changed when the ICE surge began.
H...
- Title
- They're facing deportation—but still fighting for better working conditions
- Runtime
- 1:03
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Despite threats of deportation, these workers voted to strike.
This week, hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants faced an uncertain future as Trump fought to revoke their legal status and deport them.
But despite these threats, the largely immigrant union workers at a JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, many of them recent arrivals from Haiti, still voted to strike over poor working conditions in what could become the first sanctioned walkout at a major meatpacking plant in decades.
From us and @FERNnews :
- Title
- How sports became a battleground over trans rights
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- The right said trans athletes had an unfair advantage. The data tells a different story.
Over the last year, the anti-trans movement has reached a tipping point. Trans girls are banned from girls’ school sports in the majority of states. The NCAA and US Olympic and Paralympic committees have banned trans women from women’s competitions. The Supreme Court is currently considering the issue, too.
Meghan Cortez-Fields is one of the last openly transgender swimmers to compete as a woman in the NCAA, having followed the policy the governing body laid out for her with gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Still, the hate came, accusing Meghan of an unfair advantage. So Reveal’s data reporter Melissa Lewis took a closer look.
Watch for what she found and hear Meghan on an episode of Reveal. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
- Title
- Four shocking months with Gregory Bovino
- Runtime
- 2:55
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- You have "nothing to fear if you're an American citizen. If you're not an American citizen, then look out."
That's what Border Patrol "Commander at Large" Gregory Bovino said in December, as he and his entourage of masked agents patrolled a residential neighborhood in Kenner, Louisiana, a diverse suburb of New Orleans. Asked by a reporter whether that threat applied to "legal residents," too, Bovino attempted to clarify. "We're friends with all legal residents," he insisted.
The exchange was captured by journalist Amanda Moore, who has spent months documenting the activities of the Border Patrol, ICE, and an alphabet soup of federal law enforcement outfits.
Amanda's videos are intense and often violent; they show disturbing levels of aggression from the heavily armed government agents that President Donald Trump has unleashed on American cities. She's followed Bovino particular closely, tracking him across the heartland from Chicago to Louisiana ...
- Title
- Can journalists be prosecuted for covering a protest?
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- “Ten years in prison for being on the ground at a protest… It's absurd. It's absolutely absurd.”
The arrest of two journalists who were covering a Minneapolis protest is sparking concerns around how far the Trump administration will go to prosecute reporters and target coverage it sees as hostile.
Former CNN host Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort were arrested January 30 in connection with their reporting on a protest that disrupted a church service. Both were released soon after, but they face charges under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a Reconstruction-era law meant to protect civil rights; and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a statute originally intended to prevent intimidation at medical facilities and religious services. If convicted, they could face up to ten years in prison.
Senior Digital Editor David Ritsher spoke with Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists about what these arrests ...
- Title
- The Army veteran who protested ICE at a church was just set free
- Runtime
- 2:12
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Army veteran Ian Austin has been released. Ian was one of the protesters in Minnesota arrested by federal agents for taking part in an anti-ICE demonstration at a church.
Ian was featured in a viral Mother Jones video last week. He talked about how he felt like it was his duty, as a veteran, to be in Minneapolis protesting—and how he feels like his nation is under attack.
Senior reporter Julia Lurie spoke with Ian and his lawyer yesterday. Like the other church protesters, Ian faces federal charges.
- Title
- Here's what Alex Pretti's coworkers and community say about him
- Runtime
- 2:53
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- "We wanted to have people who knew him speak about his memory—and to correct the record on some of the smear campaigns that we're seeing."
Alex Pretti’s coworkers and community gathered at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs on Sunday, sharing memories and stories of him—and called out the lies the federal government has been spreading about their friend.
"The lies told about him," said Senator Amy Klobuchar, who recently announced her candidacy for Minnesota governor. "Calling him a domestic terrorist, were the most hurtful things that they could ever imagine be said about their son."
"You've inspired and motivated the entire world with your final words: 'Are you okay?'" read Alex's coworker Josh Green, referencing the final words we hear Pretti say in the video of his killing.
Reporter Nate Halverson was there to share what those who knew Pretti wanted you to know. Watch.
- Title
- Community protests proposed ICE facility in Hudson Valley
- Runtime
- 0:58
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- An hour north of New York City, community members braved freezing temperatures to protest a proposed ICE facility in the Hudson Valley last Thursday.
"They better lawyer up," Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan of New York said at the rally, referring to ICE and the Trump administration at large. "Because when we flip the House in less than a year, there will be accountability."
- Title
- Retired FBI special agent Colleen Rowley speaks out against ICE
- Runtime
- 1:50
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- “If there is complete impunity now, it will spread, and it will be far, far worse. Even regular police will say, ‘You know what? They can do it, I can do it.’”
Reporter Nate Halverson caught up with former FBI special agent and 9/11 whistleblower Colleen Rowley during Minnesota's massive general strike march in Minneapolis on Friday. The Constitutional law expert decried what she describes as ICE’s unlawful actions in the state and beyond.
“People should follow [Minnesota’s] model, if they want to preserve the law in their own state.”
- Title
- Famed Indigenous chef Sean Sherman: My employee was taken.
- Runtime
- 2:56
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- “We were just trying to get him medication… But he was already gone.”
Last week, the internationally renowned Indigenous chef Sean Sherman told reporter Nate Halverson that federal agents detained one of his employees on his way to work. The agents said his co-worker matched the description of someone they were looking for, and asked for documents to confirm his identity. By the next day, Sherman said, his employee was already out of Minnesota. He was discovered to be in Texas.
“Our employees are not criminals,” Sherman told Nate in the Twin Cities. “They don’t have police records and they’re just here to come to work. We’re literally a nonprofit trying to serve healthy indigenous food to people. We shouldn’t have to worry if we’re going to have guns pulled on us on the way to work at all, but this is our reality.”
Sherman said his team tried to intervene. “We were just trying to get him medication,” he added. “But he...
- Title
- From ground zero: Minnesotans have a message for you
- Runtime
- 2:13
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- "Minnesotans are at the vanguard right now...Take what we’re doing and bring it to your cities.”
Reporters Nate Halverson and Sam Van Pykeren spoke with first-time protesters, vets, and religious leaders at a demonstration outside of the federal Whipple building in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The building is where much of the federal activity is happening, and has become ground zero over the last months of regular and growing protests as the federal occupation of the city continues.
But the Minnesotans from far and wide have a message for people in the rest of the country who may watching. Here's what they have to say:
- Title
- Federal agents arrested an Army veteran—after he protested ICE at a church
- Runtime
- 2:59
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- On Friday, federal agents arrested Ian Austin, an Army veteran and ICE protester who was featured in a recent viral Mother Jones video.
Austin was among the dozens of protesters who, nearly two weeks ago, interrupted a service at a church in St. Paul, where a local ICE official serves as a pastor. Since then, federal officials have been targeting those involved in the demonstration—including, today, journalist Don Lemon—and arresting them on federal charges.
- Title
- Mamdani Wants Delivery Workers to Be Ready for ICE
- Runtime
- 0:51
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Mamdani wants NYC delivery workers to be prepared for ICE.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Friday that his administration has secured a more than $5 million settlement with three delivery app companies. The money, which includes both backpay and civil penalties, will go to nearly 50,000 delivery workers who Uber Eats, Fantuan, and HungryPanda underpaid in 2023 and 2024.
As part of the new deal, Mamdani said that Uber has also agreed to reinstate up to 10,000 workers who were wrongfully deactivated.
During his interview, reporter Noah Lanard also spoke to Mamdani about what he believes the city can do to ensure that New York’s largely immigrant delivery workers are protected from another potential threat: ICE.
“We have to inform every single New Yorker—and that includes delivery workers—of their rights,” the mayor said.
“When you get a knock at the door,” he added, "someone tells you that t...
- Title
- Students Walk Out Across the Country to Protest ICE
- Runtime
- 0:34
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Students at the University of Minnesota, united with hundreds of groups across the country, are imploring people, young and old, to join a general strike on Friday. No school, no work, no economic participation, all toward the goal of ceasing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The strike comes after weeks of the Department of Homeland Security occupying the Twin Cities and targeting immigrants at school, work, and home. And after federal agents on this campaign shot and killed two US citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
As a part of the nationwide mobilization, students around the country are walking out of school to stand against President Donald Trump and DHS’s violent operations targeting American towns and cities.
- Title
- Meet the Minnesota Students Behind Friday's National General Strike
- Runtime
- 2:05
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- ► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
"No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE." That's the rallying cry behind the campaign for a nationwide general strike on Friday, seeking to galvanize opposition to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
This week, our senior reporter Nate Halverson went to the University of Minnesota, his alma mater, to speak to some of the students behind the effort that lists hundreds of endorsements from organizations and celebrities like Pedro Pascal and Hannah Einbinder.
Events are planned across the country, from New York to San Francisco, where businesses are announcing they won't open their doors.
"We can do even more," said Austin Muia, the vice president of the Black Student Union. "We want to bring it to the national stage and see it happen all over the country. We want everyone to feel that solidarity that we felt last week."
"Let's try to ...
- Title
- The Trump admin is doing damage control. But reports from the ground tell us a different story.
- Runtime
- 0:54
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- The Trump administration is trying to do damage control and shift the optics of their operations in Minnesota. But according to reports on the ground, it still seems to be business as usual.
- Title
- What a Former Undercover FBI Agent Sees in the Pretti Shooting Videos
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Videos of the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents last Saturday ricocheted around the world, allowing ordinary viewers to see for themselves, second by second, how the deadly skirmish unfolded. The video evidence from the scene immediately shredded the Trump administration's claims, which smeared Pretti as a "domestic terrorist" and a "would-be assassin."
But senior reporter Nathan Halverson wanted to ask a federal law enforcement officer—someone trained in handling quick-moving altercations while armed—what he saw in the video with professional eyes. So Nate sat down with a former FBI agent to help us understand the visual evidence—and how a proper investigation should play out from here.
Now retired, Ken Bagchi asked that we keep his face off camera because of his previous undercover work and to protect the active agents he worked with who remain undercover.
"I'm having the hardest time reconciling what it looks to me to be a victim ...
- Title
- Nurses honor fellow nurse Alex Pretti's life and service
- Runtime
- 1:31
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- "We all say an oath when we graduate from nursing school, and he upheld that oath until the very end."
Nurses at Alex Pretti's memorial in Minneapolis spoke to our reporters Nate Halverson and Sam Van Pykeren on Monday about gathering to honor a fellow nurse, who they say helped others until the very end.
Pretti, a US citizen and Minneapolis local, worked in the intensive care unit at a Veterans Affairs hospital. Videos detail the last moments leading up to his death: He was directing traffic on the street while filming immigration agents, attempted to assist another observer who was pushed to the ground by immigration enforcement, pepper-sprayed by the agent who ends up shooting him, and tackled by several agents onto the street.
"That's what nurses do," labor and delivery nurse Sarah Evans said. "We care and protect. So we'll do what we can to be in between harm and another person."
- Title
- Why this California congressman visited Minneapolis
- Runtime
- 1:37
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- Our reporters Nate Halverson and Sam Van Pykeren caught up with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California at Alex Pretti's memorial in Minneapolis on Monday. He was there to pay his respects after Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday, and to call for tearing down ICE and repealing its money—to "start anew," he said.
"I'll tell you, as a parent, to lose a 37-year-old son, and then to have that son insulted as a terrorist as opposed to celebrated as a hero...I'm a pretty even-keeled guy, but I was furious," he said.
"There are a lot of people here," he added. "It's not just immigrants, it's people of all different backgrounds, of all different races. This is the America I love. People need to come here to rebuild their faith in what this country is supposed to be for."
- Title
- This is not what this Army vet went to war for
- Runtime
- 1:34
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- When Ian Austin, an Army veteran, was arrested for protesting ICE in Minneapolis, he says he was detained and shackled for hours.
“We're turning into something that I can't even begin to respect, and something that I literally went to war—or they told me I went to war—to fight against,” he says.
Since he was arrested, he’s continued protesting. Mother Jones senior reporter Julia Lurie spoke to Austin outside the Whipple Federal Building, where ICE is based.
“When they say, ‘Why would you be out here?’ How the fuck could I not be out here?” he says. “My nation is under attack."
- Title
- They want you to believe this lie about Minneapolis
- Runtime
- 2:49
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- There's a big lie being spread about Minneapolis: That neighbors helping neighbors is evidence of something more nefarious.
It's an evidence-free claim—and hypocrisy at its finest, says Mother Jones digital producer Sam Van Pykeren. Our reporters have been on the ground in Minneapolis over the last week talking to the very people right-wing influencers and conservative politicians want to paint as an organized ring of bad actors for simply providing warmth and resources in sub-zero temperatures.
"We're just trying to help keep the community safe," says Minneapolis resident Todd, who was providing saline wash for community members who had been hit by tear gas unleashed by federal agents. "I've given out more saline and gloves and hand warmers than I've ever given out."
Senior reporter Julia Lurie also spoke with Minnesota residents outside of the Whipple federal building where agents have been housing detainees. Upon release, detainees are often ...
- Title
- ICE Demanded an ID, But She Held Her Ground
- Runtime
- 2:14
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- "You're terrorizing people, and it's unacceptable... I'm a citizen, this is my home."
You might've seen the video: a Minneapolis resident defiantly stands up to ICE, filming as they persistently question her. Nimco Omar, a citizen and long-time Minneapolis resident, was on her way to work when federal agents demanded to see her ID. Her viral video shows agents repeatedly asking her where she was born, with Omar calmly refusing and stating her rights. They finally gave up.
Mother Jones senior reporter Julia Lurie spent last week in Minneapolis talking to community members, protesters, and people confronted by ICE, including Nimco. Follow along for more updates.
- Title
- He spent decades bringing the religious right to power. Now he's marching to undo it.
- Runtime
- 2:10
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- He spent decades bringing the religious right to power. Now he's marching to undo it.
"Being here, in solidarity, is part of the repair work in my own soul," says Rev. Rob Schenck, an Evangelical minister who spent decades helping build America's Religious Right—commingling church and state to advance conservative causes like the anti-abortion movement.
Now, he says he must confront the damage he helped cause, including what he believes was his role in delivering "the entities that are now inflicting all of this suffering on so many people." One example: Schenck's organization, Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital, created "Operation Higher Court," which trained wealthy couples as "stealth missionaries" to befriend Supreme Court justices to preserve, in his words, a Christian nation.
"So now I have to do the work of repair," he told Mother Jones digital producer Sam Van Pykeren in the icy streets of Minneapolis on Friday during the city's "D...
- Title
- Furious Minneapolis locals react after yet another neighbor is killed by feds
- Runtime
- 2:33
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- Fury. Grief. Anguish. Locals on the frontlines of Trump’s attack on Minneapolis are speaking out—and we’re on the ground tracking the aftermath.
Minnesotans awoke to fresh terror Saturday morning as news broke that federal agents had shot and killed another local in the streets. The victim, 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, was pinned down by several agents before being shot multiple times. The Associated Press reported that Pretti was an intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital who lived just two miles from where he was killed.
Heeding calls to take to the streets, neighbors immediately poured into nearby intersections, confronting tactical Border Patrol units. Agents fired continuous rounds of tear gas and flash grenades into a crowd of all ages that had gathered to bear witness and demand an end to what they described as a federal siege of their city.
Soon after, our reporter Sam Van Pykeren visited th...
- Title
- ICE Attacks Observer While Tailing a Bus Full of Clergy
- Runtime
- 3:00
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- ICE attacked an observer after they tailed a group of clergy on a spiritual pilgrimage.
While thousands and thousands of Minnesotans prepared to march and demand that ICE leave their state, agents were still on the hunt. This time, a group of ICE agents had turned their sights on a group of clergy participating in a spiritual pilgrimage from George Floyd Square to Renée Good’s memorial. Our digital producer @sam.vp just so happened to be with the clergy on their journey.
He spoke with the observer who was attacked and others who witnessed the assault. “I knew what was happening in the cities, but I didn't know the extent.” social worker and street medic Anice Chenault said.
- Title
- Ride Along With George Floyd's Aunt
- Runtime
- 1:48
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- Our digital producer @sam.vp has been on the ground today in Minneapolis for what organizers have dubbed the “Day of Truth and Freedom”.
One of the thousands involved in protest and strike actions today is Angela Harrelson, who has seen with heartbreaking proximity what police state violence does to a community: her nephew George Floyd was killed by police in 2020, sparking nationwide outrage.
Sam had the chance to share a car with Angela, as she reflected on grief, trauma, and Minnesota’s history of resistance.
“We just want humanity.”
- Title
- Minneapolis church feeds thousands of families fearing ICE
- Runtime
- 2:46
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- "It's really evil what's going on. And coming from the conservative government, 'Christian' government, I just think they're reading their Bible backwards."
In December, Pastor Sergio Amezcua put out a sign-up for Minnesotans who were afraid to leave their homes and needed grocery deliveries. He thought 10 or 20 families would sign up. Since then, his church, Dios Habla Hoy, has delivered food to 17,000 families.
Mother Jones senior reporter Julia Lurie spent the week in Minneapolis talking to clergy, protesters, and people confronted by ICE. Follow along for more updates.
- Title
- "They Picked the Wrong State to Mess With"
- Runtime
- 1:22
- Date posted
- 10 months ago
- Description
- Live from Minneapolis as marches and strikes take over the city.
Hundreds of Minnesota businesses—from breakfast spots to bike shops to breweries—are shutting down Friday as part of a general strike pushing ICE out of the state.
The "Day of Truth and Freedom" includes protests, prayers, and fasting, organized by a coalition of clergy and supported by labor organizers and the entire Minneapolis City Council. There's also a march planned. All this is even more extraordinary given the Arctic conditions that are currently sweeping the city.
We are on the ground, live today. Follow along for updates.
