Aaron Mendelson
@amendelson.bsky.social
journalist @thetrace.org. data + investigations. based in los angeles.
priors: the center for public integrity, kpcc/laist, ucbsoj
email: aaron AT aaronmendelson dot com
priors: the center for public integrity, kpcc/laist, ucbsoj
email: aaron AT aaronmendelson dot com
Pinned
Aaron Mendelson
@amendelson.bsky.social
· Sep 18
The Quiet Crisis: What’s Driving Gun Suicides Among Older Americans?
More and more older Americans are dying by firearm suicide, a new analysis from The Trace and GQ reveals. Older white men and those in rural areas experience alarmingly high rates.
www.thetrace.org
Older Americans have the highest rates of gun suicide of any age group. Not by a little — by a lot.
Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...
Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...
"Recent research has found that if the planet continues to warm at its current rate, exposure to wildfire smoke would kill an estimated 70,000 Americans each year by 2050" www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:04 PM
"Recent research has found that if the planet continues to warm at its current rate, exposure to wildfire smoke would kill an estimated 70,000 Americans each year by 2050" www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Thanks to @healthjournalism.org for inviting me to do this Q&A about the work we're doing at the Gun Violence Data Hub. Check it out! healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/02...
How reporters can use The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub
We checked in with Aaron Mendelson, the news developer for the Gun Violence Data Hub, to talk about how the project’s first year went.
healthjournalism.org
February 11, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Thanks to @healthjournalism.org for inviting me to do this Q&A about the work we're doing at the Gun Violence Data Hub. Check it out! healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/02...
Fascinating look at the Black Lion Party, who are conducting daily armed patrols and ruffling a lot of feathers around Philadelphia www.thetrace.org/2026/02/phil...
Inspired by the Black Panthers, Armed Citizen Patrols Have Returned to Philadelphia
An organization calling itself the Black Lion Party says it intends to protect the public from immigration agents, the police, and criminals.
www.thetrace.org
February 10, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Fascinating look at the Black Lion Party, who are conducting daily armed patrols and ruffling a lot of feathers around Philadelphia www.thetrace.org/2026/02/phil...
"SIG has frequently cut corners in ways that affect quality, potentially jeopardizing the integrity of parts used to build millions of guns and hundreds of thousands of P320s" www.thetrace.org/2026/02/sig-...
Even a Decade of Unintentional Shootings Could Not Slow America’s Top Pistol Maker
SIG Sauer’s P320 has prompted scores of lawsuits for alleged safety issues. Insiders say a push to make more guns led to shoddy manufacturing.
www.thetrace.org
February 9, 2026 at 8:55 PM
"SIG has frequently cut corners in ways that affect quality, potentially jeopardizing the integrity of parts used to build millions of guns and hundreds of thousands of P320s" www.thetrace.org/2026/02/sig-...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Amid the hundreds of colleagues we’ve lost today, I wanted to highlight the BRILLIANT data/graphics folks who any newsroom should be fighting to hire right now—threading here:
February 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Amid the hundreds of colleagues we’ve lost today, I wanted to highlight the BRILLIANT data/graphics folks who any newsroom should be fighting to hire right now—threading here:
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."
February 4, 2026 at 2:34 PM
A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."
Is Jeremy Sochan wearing an Aphex Twin hoodie
January 29, 2026 at 4:55 AM
Is Jeremy Sochan wearing an Aphex Twin hoodie
This @newyorker.com Willie Nelson profile is beautiful. The adoring quotes from Sonny Rollins and Bob Dylan are a treat too www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
How Willie Nelson Sees America
On the road with the musician, his band, and his family.
www.newyorker.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:19 AM
This @newyorker.com Willie Nelson profile is beautiful. The adoring quotes from Sonny Rollins and Bob Dylan are a treat too www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Gun sales to the general public have been falling for years. In 2025, firearms companies found a lucrative new opportunity: arming the Trump administration’s deportation operation.
Gun Sellers Have Made Millions From Trump’s Deployment of Immigration Agents
Last year, the Department of Homeland Security spent a record sum on guns and ammunition, a Trace analysis found.
www.thetrace.org
January 28, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Gun sales to the general public have been falling for years. In 2025, firearms companies found a lucrative new opportunity: arming the Trump administration’s deportation operation.
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
here in LA it's really quiet but that's also how it sounds after a big Rams win
January 26, 2026 at 3:10 AM
here in LA it's really quiet but that's also how it sounds after a big Rams win
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 25, 2026
January 24, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 25, 2026
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
The victim of today's ICE shooting in Minneapolis is the 5th person to be shot and killed by federal immigration agents since President Trump began his crackdown last year.
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids?
The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.
www.thetrace.org
January 24, 2026 at 6:34 PM
The victim of today's ICE shooting in Minneapolis is the 5th person to be shot and killed by federal immigration agents since President Trump began his crackdown last year.
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
The song "Purple Rain" is like the eighth best song on this album
Prince’s 'Purple Rain' hits a new U.K. peak more than 40 years on. The soundtrack returns to the Official Vinyl Albums Chart at #25, climbs to #4 on the Official Soundtrack Albums chart, and reenters Albums Sales at #42.
January 22, 2026 at 8:28 PM
The song "Purple Rain" is like the eighth best song on this album
Finished Gravity's Rainbow (pictured here when I first cracked it open nearly a month ago).
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Finished Gravity's Rainbow (pictured here when I first cracked it open nearly a month ago).
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Prominent L.A. eviction lawyer Dennis Block — who once said he has "evicted more tenants than any other human being on the planet Earth" — is now facing disciplinary charges from the CA State Bar. 👇
January 12, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Prominent L.A. eviction lawyer Dennis Block — who once said he has "evicted more tenants than any other human being on the planet Earth" — is now facing disciplinary charges from the CA State Bar. 👇
Shootings plunging, gun sales dipping, data on ICE raid uses of force — we're tracking all this and more in my quarterly @thetrace.org data roundup, 92 Days In Gun Violence
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
January 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Shootings plunging, gun sales dipping, data on ICE raid uses of force — we're tracking all this and more in my quarterly @thetrace.org data roundup, 92 Days In Gun Violence
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
Thinking about reporting I did ten years ago about LA Sheriff's deputies firing into cars, which led to the department banning the practice laist.com/news/kpcc-ar...
Officer Involved: Shooting at suspects in cars is dangerous, LA sheriff found, so why didn't it stop?
While LAPD officers have largely stopped shooting into moving cars, LA County sheriff's deputies have continued the practice despite policy changes.
laist.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Thinking about reporting I did ten years ago about LA Sheriff's deputies firing into cars, which led to the department banning the practice laist.com/news/kpcc-ar...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Update: As of January 7, The Trace has identified 28 incidents, including 14 shootings, in which federal agents shot someone or held them at gunpoint during an immigration enforcement action under Trump’s crackdown. At least four people have been killed and five others have been injured.
How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids?
The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.
www.thetrace.org
January 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Update: As of January 7, The Trace has identified 28 incidents, including 14 shootings, in which federal agents shot someone or held them at gunpoint during an immigration enforcement action under Trump’s crackdown. At least four people have been killed and five others have been injured.
73-9 record is looking safer every day
January 5, 2026 at 3:40 AM
73-9 record is looking safer every day
yes the Hornets have great team colors! plenty to work with there
December 31, 2025 at 8:46 PM
yes the Hornets have great team colors! plenty to work with there
Yes, crazy. But how ugly are these Hornets jerseys? They look like bags of Cheetos
December 31, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Yes, crazy. But how ugly are these Hornets jerseys? They look like bags of Cheetos
Lay Low, Eddie Chacon
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse
Alfredo 2, Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist
(2/2)
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse
Alfredo 2, Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist
(2/2)
December 31, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Lay Low, Eddie Chacon
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse
Alfredo 2, Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist
(2/2)
Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse
Alfredo 2, Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist
(2/2)
favorite albums of 2025, no real order:
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
December 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM
favorite albums of 2025, no real order:
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
What a play by Purdy. He’s a joy to watch when he’s playing like this
December 29, 2025 at 3:35 AM
What a play by Purdy. He’s a joy to watch when he’s playing like this