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Russell Payne

Russell Payne

Salon

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Tax refunds are up. Americans still paid higher taxes

Even though tax refunds are up this year, Americans paid higher prices due to tariffs all year, and that money isn’

previous day 10

Salon

Russell Payne

ICE is recruiting cops to track down kids

New documents reveal ICE is paying local law enforcement to supply information on unaccompanied minors

10.04.2026 10

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Russell Payne

AI is raising the stakes in the government surveillance debate

Up for renewal on April 20, FISA Section 702 has long been criticized as a backdoor for spying on Americans

06.04.2026 3

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Russell Payne

“We love Pam”: Trump fires Attorney General Pam Bondi

Bondi’s controversial tenure included overseeing the Epstein files release and deadly immigration crackdowns

02.04.2026 4

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Russell Payne

Not just ICE: Do we need DHS?

In it’s 24 year history DHS has failed to make Americans safer and has become increasingly politicized

02.04.2026 3

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Russell Payne

Supreme Court could create a whole new class of noncitizens

An enormous administrative problem — and a mountain of paperwork for everyone — is only the tip of the iceberg

01.04.2026 4

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Russell Payne

Trump’s war may hasten the end of oil and gas dependence

The conflict is already disrupting transit through the Strait of Hormuz, driving price spikes and volatility

26.03.2026 3

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Russell Payne

Why AI chatbots are getting more political

Has Anthropic become the "liberal" chatbot, while OpenAI and Palantir go full MAGA? It's not that simple

23.03.2026 10

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Russell Payne

The conservative woman cracking down on conservative women

Cleta Mitchell’s election integrity crusade behind the SAVE America Act could overly affect Republican women

19.03.2026 9

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Russell Payne

Trump allies might get their preferred Democratic Senate candidate from Illinois

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has raised much more cash than Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and other primary challengers

17.03.2026 8

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Russell Payne

The ancient prophecy behind the Iran war is a modern invention

Religious leaders warn that apocalyptic beliefs might outweigh the nuclear taboo

15.03.2026 30

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Russell Payne

Labor Department chaos hides an anti-worker agenda

Dysfunction at the NLRB has grown to the point that it’s even beginning to hurt employers

13.03.2026 6

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Russell Payne

How the DOJ is using civil rights law to attack school desegregation

In conservative push to redefine the 14th Amendment, Los Angeles schools are on the front line

10.03.2026 20

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Russell Payne

Kristi Noem is out: Chaotic reign at DHS ends amid personal scandal

Trump fires colorful symbol of his immigration crackdown after high-profile killings and alleged affair

05.03.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Both parties at odds with own voters over Middle East policy

Republicans and Democrats have both carved out unpopular positions on America’s role in the Middle East

05.03.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Why Congress tried to dodge a vote on war with Iran

Iran hawks are maneuvering to have their war without their fingerprints on it

03.03.2026 10

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Russell Payne

How the Texas primary could rewrite the Democrat’s campaign playbook

Both Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico have a theory of politics to test

03.03.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Facing midterm wipeout, Arizona Republicans revive sharia law panic

The return of a decades-old scare offers clues to 2026 campaign tactics

07.02.2026 100

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Russell Payne

Trump’s cannabis rescheduling order was just smoke

Even with an order to expedite the process, federal cannabis reform faces long delays and legal hurdle

06.02.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Democrats’ ICE demands play into Trump’s hands

DHS and Democrats are both demanding a closer relationship between local officials and ICE

05.02.2026 8

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Russell Payne

In NJ special election, it’s not the left that’s divided

The Feb. 5 special election upends familiar assumptions about which factions struggle to unify

04.02.2026 10

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Russell Payne

ICE’s “less lethal” crowd-control weapons can still be deadly

Crowd-control tactics tied to eye injuries, serious wounds and fatalities are drawing renewed scrutiny

29.01.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Could the military further militarize Minneapolis?

Critics argue the move is more about signaling power than improving safety

24.01.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Most Americans say ICE has gone “too far,” poll finds

Most Americans say Trump's war on immigration is backfiring and want Congress to restrict ICE

21.01.2026 20

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Russell Payne

Conservatives are flipping civil rights principles on their head

For decades, conservatives have worked to rollback the civil and voting rights that Martin Luther King Jr. upheld

19.01.2026 10

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Russell Payne

Democratic leaders resist call of voters to abolish ICE

As support for abolishing ICE grows among Democratic voters, party leadership continues to argue for reform instead

16.01.2026 30

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Russell Payne

“It’s going to happen again”: Residents say ICE is treating Minneapolis as a “war zone”

The killing of Renee Good has left a chill across the Twin Cities

14.01.2026 50

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Russell Payne

Nicotine’s comeback is the latest wellness scam

Tucker Carlson and influencers peddle wild nicotine claims, from curing rabies to purging nanotech

09.01.2026 10

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Russell Payne

“Propaganda machine”: Trump and DHS embrace conspiracy theories tied to ICE killing

Many in MAGA world are spinning the shooting of Renee Good as “self-defense”

08.01.2026 10

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Russell Payne

“The only thing she practices is grift”: Meet Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General

Casey Means’ promotion of supplements and pseudoscience worry medical professionals

07.01.2026 10

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Russell Payne

We learned nothing from Jan. 6

Evidence Trump tried to overturn the election 5 years ago is “overwhelming.” There haven't been any consequences

06.01.2026 30

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Russell Payne

The double-edged sword of AI data centers

The data center buildout is papering over the economy most Americans are living with

01.01.2026 40

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Russell Payne

Christianity grapples with the rise of an AI Jesus

How AI and podcasts are reviving “ancient heresies” and colliding with American Christianity online

27.12.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Congress may be about to create the “bad internet”

Online privacy protections could be demolished, advocates warn

22.12.2025 6

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Russell Payne

Epstein files won’t be released by deadline, Department of Justice says

Members of Congress have warned that officials could face legal repercussions for the delay

19.12.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Can a Democrat take Mitch McConnell’s seat?

Rep. Charles Booker and racehorse trainer Dale Romans aim to test Democrat's electability in Kentucky

19.12.2025 20

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Russell Payne

Progressive bid tests Democratic unity in Colorado’s First District

Melat Kiros is taking on Rep. Diana DeGette over health care and generational politics

15.12.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Progressive long-shot takes on Democratic establishment in New Hampshire Senate race

Kashima Manzur is fighting an uphill battle against Rep. Chris Pappas

14.12.2025 10

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Russell Payne

The fight for the Epstein files isn’t over

Here's the various ways the Trump administration could still block their release

26.11.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Why Mitch McConnell helped kill the hemp buzz

The Kentucky senator helped end a loophole in hemp law he championed. Now a $28 billion industry could be destroyed

25.11.2025 10

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Russell Payne

“Always put the people first”: Progressives get a new candidate in New York City

Darializa Avila Chevalier, a community organizer in Manhattan, is challenging Rep. Adriano Espaillat in Harlem

21.11.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Cori Bush on midterms: “Woke isn’t dead — woke is fighting”

The former Missouri congresswoman, seeking to return to Washington, argues progressives are built for this moment

07.11.2025 9

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Russell Payne

The National Guardsman who won’t take orders from Trump

Dylan Blaha, an Illinois congressional candidate, says “I was just following orders” is no excuse

06.11.2025 8

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Russell Payne

Mamdani wins: How a democratic socialist toppled the Empire State machine

The biggest turnout in a mayoral election in 30 years was a victory for Democrats

05.11.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Panic in the Hamptons: The fight to stop Zohran Mamdani

Behind closed doors, rich donors plotted to stop a movement reshaping NYC politics — and exposed their deeper fears

30.10.2025 10

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Russell Payne

“It’s a 100% bluff”: Cuts hamper Stephen Miller’s war on the left

Experts say Trump deputy chief of staff's “war” on the left is more performance than policy

24.10.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Efforts to avenge Charlie Kirk’s death have fallen apart everywhere — except where it counts

Organizations that cropped up in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death, promising to dox his critics, have evaporated

23.10.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Amy McGrath isn’t sorry for trying again

McGrath tells Salon "no one got rich" off her last Senate campaign, but that she could step aside for someone else

20.10.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Tennessee’s last House Democrat, facing progressive challenger, vows to fight

Veteran Memphis congressman Steve Cohen says he won't quit, despite challenge from member of "Tennessee Three"

14.10.2025 10

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Russell Payne

Federal agencies go MAGA amid shutdown

The Hatch Act bars federal employees from taking part in political campaigns, but critics say it's not enforced

10.10.2025 10

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Russell Payne