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Russell Payne

Russell Payne

Salon

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"You either fight for a future or you don’t": Progressives get early jump on Democratic primaries

2026 primaries kick off early as both sides of the party look to undo 2024 disaster

04.04.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

Corruption hunters say Trump's USAID cuts just made organized crime groups “much more dangerous”

Corruption hunters say Trump's USAID cuts just made organized crime groups “much more dangerous”

In slashing the USAID budget, President Donald Trump defunded one of the leading international criminal watchdogs

03.04.2025 8

Salon

Russell Payne

A TikTok star says Democrats are "scared of wielding their power." How would she be different?

A TikTok star says Democrats are

In an interview, Kat Abughazaleh explained why she's running to unseat a fellow a Democrat in Illinois

02.04.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

France's far-right Marine Le Pen convicted of embezzlement, banned from running for office

France's far-right Marine Le Pen convicted of embezzlement, banned from running for office

Le Pen was also sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Euros, or about $108,000.

31.03.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

A conservative judge reveals how Trump could justify eliminating due process

A conservative judge reveals how Trump could justify eliminating due process

A judge's dissent may serve as a preview of legal arguments that Trump will make at the Supreme Court

28.03.2025 4

Salon

Russell Payne

"People are terrified": Fear over Medicaid cuts across rural America could sway some Republicans

GOP lawmakers are proposing massive cuts, but a public backlash may turn some Republicans against their own party

27.03.2025 30

Salon

Russell Payne

"We have tariffs": White House desperate to talk about anything but the Signal scandal

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced a deluge of Signal leak questions Wednesday that she didn't want to answer

27.03.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

"You could throw me on the plane": Trump's claiming the right to deport literally anyone, judge says

Judge Patricia Millett said the Trump administration is claiming the right to unilaterally expel anyone it wants

25.03.2025 40

Salon

Russell Payne

Health care, housing and wages: Antonio Delgado says New York Democrats need to stand for something

Health care, housing and wages: Antonio Delgado says New York Democrats need to stand for something

New York's lieutenant governor spoke with Salon about his vision for the Democratic Party in 2025 and beyond

20.03.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

"Never a good sign": After Khalil arrest, a "climate of fear" descends on Columbia University

"Secret police abducting people in the middle of the night is never a good sign for any minority," one student said

18.03.2025 8

Salon

Russell Payne

"Joe Manchin always told me": A centrist Democrat explains why he sided with Republicans on the CR

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, told Salon that he thinks "a shutdown will make things worse, not better"

14.03.2025 8

Salon

Russell Payne

"2 million dead by the end of the year": Ex-USAID chief says aid cuts will kill starving children

In the wake of USAID’s shuttering by billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, those familiar with USAID’s work have been fighting for the...

13.03.2025 20

Salon

Russell Payne

"There's real risks": Senate Democrats fear that Musk and Trump could exploit a government shutdown

Some Democrats fear taking the blame if they don't offer their votes for a Republican spending proposal

12.03.2025 8

Salon

Russell Payne

"Silencing dissent": Trump administration arrests pro-Palestine activist at Columbia University

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to revoke visas and green cards over political speech

10.03.2025 9

Salon

Russell Payne

Trump may want to close the Department of Education, but for now he's exploiting its power

The Trump administration is using a Department of Education office to go after trans rights

07.03.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

"This isn’t just a job to us": Fired federal workers decry the Trump-Musk assault on government

Former federal workers say Americans will soon feel the impact of the Trump administration's massive purge

06.03.2025 7

Salon

Russell Payne

Trump plans to gut Department of Veterans Affairs, eliminate more than 80,000 jobs

President Donald Trump's administration plans to cut some 80,000 jobs from the Veterans Affairs Department

06.03.2025 40

Salon

Russell Payne

"I'll never vote for chaos": Democrats split on a government shutdown over Trump-Musk lawlessness

Congressional agreement over whether to keep the federal government up and running could hinge on the rule of law

05.03.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

"The people in charge are so out of touch": Pelosi challenger pitches a "new" Democratic Party

AOC's ex-chief of staff and co-founder of the Justice Democrats warns the GOP is "moving too fast" for Dems

04.03.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

Moms for Liberty, Education Department launch program to report teachers who promote diversity

The department has created a tip line for people to report schools accused of promoting DEI policies

28.02.2025 100

Salon

Russell Payne

Trump's DC attorney refuses to sign arrest warrant for Republican accused of assault: report

Police say they're investigating an alleged assault of a woman by a Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla.

26.02.2025 60

Salon

Russell Payne

Mike Johnson's "prayer request": A GOP budget that slashes Medicaid to pay for Trump's tax cuts

House Speaker Mike Johnson asked supporters to pray for a budget proposal that would slash social welfare spending

25.02.2025 70

Salon

Russell Payne

"He's not standing up": Protesters want Hakeem Jeffries to lead an aggressive opposition to Trump

At a protest on Thursday, demonstrators said they were unhappy with Jeffries' leadership of Democrats in Congress

21.02.2025 20

Salon

Russell Payne

Economists say the GOP budget would destroy Medicaid and "disproportionately benefit the 1%"

House Republicans want to pay for their tax cuts by cutting social services used by the working class

20.02.2025 200

Salon

Russell Payne

DNC intervenes in North Carolina Supreme Court fight, accuses GOP of trying to "steal an election"

DNC Chair Ken Martin accused North Carolina Republicans of trying to "steal an election in plain sight"

19.02.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

Unions sue to keep Musk's "unqualified flunkies" out of Americans' personal data

The union lawsuit alleges that DOGE has illegally accessed large swaths of Americans' personal information

13.02.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

"It isn’t an accident that we're here now": How the Supreme Court encouraged Trump to defy the law

Trump's assertions of broad, unchecked executive power are a predictable result of the court's "immunity" decision

12.02.2025 8

Salon

Russell Payne

GOP judge Jefferson Griffin appeals North Carolina court decision that upheld his November loss

Jefferson Griffin's loss has been confirmed by two recounts, but the Republican judge won't accept defeat

12.02.2025 40

Salon

Russell Payne

Republicans' "baseless attempts" to overturn a loss in North Carolina could drag on for months

The GOP candidate for state Supreme Court refuses to accept that “North Carolinians simply did not choose him"

08.02.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

Judge rejects Trump's claims about birthright citizenship, says "no court" has ever endorsed them

A federal judge Wednesday issued a national injunction barring Trump from denying citizenship to immigrant children

06.02.2025 40

Salon

Russell Payne

“What’s the point of having Congress?”: Even some conservatives now say it's a constitutional crisis

Some conservative scholars are admitting that Elon Musk's slash-and-burn approach to government is unconstitutional

05.02.2025 3

Salon

Russell Payne

Musk's buyout scheme for federal employees is an "illegal scam," Democrats charge

“Federal employees are right to be skeptical of the resignation offer," according to congressional Democrats

04.02.2025 60

Salon

Russell Payne

"Fear of hunger": Trump's illegal effort to revoke birthright citizenship could burden new parents

Trump's effort to neuter the 14th Amendment would impose massive administrative burdens on governments and parents

04.02.2025 20

Salon

Russell Payne

"Time for it to die": Musk takes over USAID in bid to destroy the agency with Trump's "full support"

Trump said Musk was helping him take on "radical lunatics" at the agency, which provides humanitarian aid abroad

03.02.2025 6

Salon

Russell Payne

Democrats want Trump to reveal who he's giving security clearances to without background checks

Democrats want the White House to release the list of people who are now viewing the nation's secrets

31.01.2025 20

Salon

Russell Payne

"Are we on the side of our donors?": DNC race puts spotlight on money and "good billionaires"

Progressives are urging Democrats to say no to billionaire donors, but the leading DNC candidates aren't so sure

30.01.2025 20

Salon

Russell Payne

Republican plans to cut Medicaid could cost 22 million Americans their health care

A DNC analysis notes that rolling back Medicare expansion alone could force millions off the program's rolls

29.01.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

Right-wing activists appear to be writing memos for the Trump White House

Memos posted by the Office of Personnel Management initially listed right-wing activists as their authors

28.01.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

"Boggles my mind": Experts think Trump's "blatantly unconstitutional" order has a chance with SCOTUS

Fate of Trump birthright citizenship order depends on whether Supreme Court conservatives "take history seriously"

25.01.2025 30

Salon

Russell Payne

DOJ is trying to "scare" local Democrats into carrying out Trump's mass deportations

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said he would not be intimidated into carrying out a "fascist" agenda

23.01.2025 4

Salon

Russell Payne

"Excluding Indians": Trump admin questions Native Americans' birthright citizenship in court

The Trump admin is leaning on a pre-14th Amendment law in its fight to redefine birthright citizenship

23.01.2025 50

Salon

Russell Payne

"Violence will be rewarded": Legal experts say Trump's Jan. 6 pardons send a clear signal

Former Justice Department officials said the pardons signal a Trump taking a major role in the department

22.01.2025 6

Salon

Russell Payne

Who's Ken Martin? Supporters say the Minnesota Democrat and would-be DNC chair is ready for battle

Allies of the Minnesota Democratic Party chair say "everyone has a seat at the table" when Martin is in charge

21.01.2025 20

Salon

Russell Payne

Trump "will be in charge of the border," Kristi Noem says at Senate confirmation hearing

Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security insisted she wouldn't play politics with federal aid

17.01.2025 3

Salon

Russell Payne

Bondi says she will rely "on the facts and the law" when deciding whether to prosecute Trump critics

Bondi said she would evaluate charges against January 6 rioters and Trump critics alike on a "case-by-case basis"

16.01.2025 6

Salon

Russell Payne

"Not familiar": Pam Bondi claims ignorance of Trump's remarks on January 6 rioters

Pam Bondi dodged questions about some of Trump's most well-known statements

15.01.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

Bondi backs Kash Patel to head the FBI but insists she won't have her own "enemies list" at DOJ

Bondi was quizzed about her support for political prosecutions at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday

15.01.2025 10

Salon

Russell Payne

"I saw many things": Pam Bondi says she can now "accept" the 2020 results but won't say Trump lost

Bondi told senators she'd evaluate January 6 convictions on a "case-by-case" basis

15.01.2025 5

Salon

Russell Payne

"Rigging the system": Pam Bondi consistently sided with corporations that gave money to Republicans

Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department has often acted in the interests of corporate donors

15.01.2025 30

Salon

Russell Payne

"He had no defense": Legal experts say Jack Smith's report shows Trump would have been convicted

Jack Smith's report on Trump's 2020 election subversion shows the president-elect was lucky to avoid a trial

14.01.2025 3

Salon

Russell Payne