Lex McMenamin (they/them)
@lexmcmenamin.com
I have friends everywhere
movement building reporter @us.theguardian.com
member @transjournalists.org
linktr.ee/lexmcmenamin
tips: Lex_mcmenamin.68 on Signal
movement building reporter @us.theguardian.com
member @transjournalists.org
linktr.ee/lexmcmenamin
tips: Lex_mcmenamin.68 on Signal
Pinned
~news~: this week I started at The Guardian US @us.theguardian.com as Movement Building reporter, continuing my coverage of protest, repression and resistance against war, LGBTQ rights, policing, labor, and more under Trump.
organizers, advocates—send me your stories! I’m on Signal lex.mcmenamin.68
organizers, advocates—send me your stories! I’m on Signal lex.mcmenamin.68
this is how i am learning of it
January 10, 2026 at 7:48 PM
this is how i am learning of it
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
Worth remembering, as Trump tries to brutalize blue states over alleged TANF fraud: Mississippi's former welfare director ran TANF as a private slush fund, routing tens of millions to churches, wrestlers, and celebrity pet projects (including Brett Favre's)—while rejecting over 90% of poor families.
NEW: Text messages reveal the strange relationship that John Davis, the former Mississippi official who directed millions in welfare dollars to sports celebrities, shared with WWE wrestlers Ted DiBiase Jr. and Brett DiBiase.
"It is me who tried to buy your love," he wrote in one text read in court.
"It is me who tried to buy your love," he wrote in one text read in court.
DiBiase Trial Spotlights Wrestlers' Odd Bond With Mississippi Welfare Scandal Mastermind
The odd relationship between the mastermind of the Mississippi welfare scandal and two ex-wrestlers was on display in Ted DiBiase Jr.’s trial.
www.mississippifreepress.org
January 10, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Worth remembering, as Trump tries to brutalize blue states over alleged TANF fraud: Mississippi's former welfare director ran TANF as a private slush fund, routing tens of millions to churches, wrestlers, and celebrity pet projects (including Brett Favre's)—while rejecting over 90% of poor families.
since it's the chatter this morning, @kimkelly.bsky.social from 2020
There’s No Room for Police Unions in the Labor Movement
No other union employees are allowed to kill other human beings.
www.teenvogue.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:07 PM
since it's the chatter this morning, @kimkelly.bsky.social from 2020
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
For those who need a quick primer, here's an introduction to FOPs by @interruptcrim.bsky.social - www.interruptingcriminalization.com/resources-al...
An Introduction to Police Fraternal Organizations — Interrupting Criminalization
An introduction to Police Fraternal Organizations, including what they are, why we should care, how they harm women and girls of color, and systemic responses we can use to combat them.
www.interruptingcriminalization.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:56 PM
For those who need a quick primer, here's an introduction to FOPs by @interruptcrim.bsky.social - www.interruptingcriminalization.com/resources-al...
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum, who shot Marimar Martinez five times (she survived) as she drove her car in Chicago on Oct. 4, is also a firearm instructor.
ICE Agent Who Reportedly Shot Renee Good Was a Firearms Trainer, per Testimony
Jonathan Ross told a federal court in December about his professional background, including “hundreds” of encounters with drivers during enforcement actions, according to testimony obtained by WIRED.
www.wired.com
January 10, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum, who shot Marimar Martinez five times (she survived) as she drove her car in Chicago on Oct. 4, is also a firearm instructor.
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
another urgent mutual aid request for Minneapolis:
a friend with two undocumented parents, one with cancer (who just lost his insurance due to MNcare dropping undocumented folks), is struggling to help his family as the only one who can work.
let’s raise $2,000 for him today.
venmo me @ziibiing
a friend with two undocumented parents, one with cancer (who just lost his insurance due to MNcare dropping undocumented folks), is struggling to help his family as the only one who can work.
let’s raise $2,000 for him today.
venmo me @ziibiing
January 9, 2026 at 11:22 PM
another urgent mutual aid request for Minneapolis:
a friend with two undocumented parents, one with cancer (who just lost his insurance due to MNcare dropping undocumented folks), is struggling to help his family as the only one who can work.
let’s raise $2,000 for him today.
venmo me @ziibiing
a friend with two undocumented parents, one with cancer (who just lost his insurance due to MNcare dropping undocumented folks), is struggling to help his family as the only one who can work.
let’s raise $2,000 for him today.
venmo me @ziibiing
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
"On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Renee Macklin Good’s wife says she nurtured kindness
On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.
www.mprnews.org
January 9, 2026 at 4:46 PM
"On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
Last year, ICE agents used Canary Mission to kidnap pro-Palestine students for deportation. Yesterday, they prevented medical aid from reaching Renee Nicole Good. American law enforcement was already in horrific shape; it’s getting even worse in distinct ways. defector.com/ice-is-model...
ICE Is Modeling Its Brutality After The IDF | Defector
Call it recency bias, personal interest, or perhaps just a general concern for society’s trajectory right now, but as I followed Wednesday’s news of an ICE agent killing 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good ...
defector.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Last year, ICE agents used Canary Mission to kidnap pro-Palestine students for deportation. Yesterday, they prevented medical aid from reaching Renee Nicole Good. American law enforcement was already in horrific shape; it’s getting even worse in distinct ways. defector.com/ice-is-model...
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
Consensus reality has been under assault by Trumpism and by tech for years now. But it's important to underline that people are still putting their lives on the line because they believe it matters. www.theverge.com/policy/85905...
People are fighting for the truth in Minneapolis
Ordinary civilians aren’t playing along with Trump
www.theverge.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Consensus reality has been under assault by Trumpism and by tech for years now. But it's important to underline that people are still putting their lives on the line because they believe it matters. www.theverge.com/policy/85905...
haters stay mad, true heads know mia does the best luigi court reporting
January 8, 2026 at 11:32 PM
haters stay mad, true heads know mia does the best luigi court reporting
Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
Comments on this story devolving into whether The Verge is allowed to write about politics….
January 8, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Comments on this story devolving into whether The Verge is allowed to write about politics….
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January 8, 2026 at 11:31 PM
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Reposted by Lex McMenamin (they/them)
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
🙏🙏🙏🙏 ty Gillian
January 8, 2026 at 6:45 PM
🙏🙏🙏🙏 ty Gillian
amid protests over the killing of Renee Good, Jessica Plichta's arrest feels to organizers like increased targeting of protesters and dissent, particularly after Trump's "domestic terrorist" designation.
"First, they arrest us on camera, and then they shoot us in the streets." @us.theguardian.com
"First, they arrest us on camera, and then they shoot us in the streets." @us.theguardian.com
US protester arrested after TV interview says she was targeted due to Venezuela trip
Plichta faces misdemeanor charges, which locals say is a tactic of Grand Rapids police to suppress protests
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:51 PM
amid protests over the killing of Renee Good, Jessica Plichta's arrest feels to organizers like increased targeting of protesters and dissent, particularly after Trump's "domestic terrorist" designation.
"First, they arrest us on camera, and then they shoot us in the streets." @us.theguardian.com
"First, they arrest us on camera, and then they shoot us in the streets." @us.theguardian.com
fellow Grand Rapids antiwar organizer Emerson Wolfe says Jessica Plichta's misdemeanor charges are part of a tendency from local police to tie organizers up in legal charges and keep them from protesting. Wolfe was arrested last April at a protest after speaking at a March 2025 protest
US protester arrested after TV interview says she was targeted due to Venezuela trip
Plichta faces misdemeanor charges, which locals say is a tactic of Grand Rapids police to suppress protests
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:48 PM
fellow Grand Rapids antiwar organizer Emerson Wolfe says Jessica Plichta's misdemeanor charges are part of a tendency from local police to tie organizers up in legal charges and keep them from protesting. Wolfe was arrested last April at a protest after speaking at a March 2025 protest
the interview clip went viral, but the context of her Dec. 2025 visit to Venezuela as part of a coalition of activist groups—and the possibility it was tied to her arrest—was not in the headlines. Plichta's story echoes others I've heard of organizers getting questioned by state agents about travel
US protester arrested after TV interview says she was targeted due to Venezuela trip
Plichta faces misdemeanor charges, which locals say is a tactic of Grand Rapids police to suppress protests
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:46 PM
the interview clip went viral, but the context of her Dec. 2025 visit to Venezuela as part of a coalition of activist groups—and the possibility it was tied to her arrest—was not in the headlines. Plichta's story echoes others I've heard of organizers getting questioned by state agents about travel
new @us.theguardian.com
A 22 y/o organizer + teacher was arrested on camera during an interview after speaking at a Mich. protest over Maduro's abduction
Jessica Plichta says her arrest seems tied to her recent trip to Venezuela as part of an internationalist peace delegation amid Trump's blockade
A 22 y/o organizer + teacher was arrested on camera during an interview after speaking at a Mich. protest over Maduro's abduction
Jessica Plichta says her arrest seems tied to her recent trip to Venezuela as part of an internationalist peace delegation amid Trump's blockade
US protester arrested after TV interview says she was targeted due to Venezuela trip
Plichta faces misdemeanor charges, which locals say is a tactic of Grand Rapids police to suppress protests
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:42 PM
new @us.theguardian.com
A 22 y/o organizer + teacher was arrested on camera during an interview after speaking at a Mich. protest over Maduro's abduction
Jessica Plichta says her arrest seems tied to her recent trip to Venezuela as part of an internationalist peace delegation amid Trump's blockade
A 22 y/o organizer + teacher was arrested on camera during an interview after speaking at a Mich. protest over Maduro's abduction
Jessica Plichta says her arrest seems tied to her recent trip to Venezuela as part of an internationalist peace delegation amid Trump's blockade
i truly failed at it, ny state lost my app lol
January 8, 2026 at 2:38 PM
i truly failed at it, ny state lost my app lol
thanks Michaela!!!
January 8, 2026 at 1:58 PM
thanks Michaela!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
January 8, 2026 at 1:50 PM
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️