Ruth Zakarin
@ruthz.bsky.social
CEO of the MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Knitter, cat lady, grey hair evangelist. Oh, and I box. #COYS. Opinions strong, plentiful, and my own.
Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
Check out my essays at: https://ruthzakarin.substack.com/
Pinned
JD Vance and the MAGA battering of Renee Good
“This is a guy who’s actually done a very, very important job for the United States of America… He deserves a debt of gratitude.”
open.substack.com
In JD Vance’s world, Jonathan Ross is both the hero and the victim. The woman he killed? She’s the perpetrator, solely responsible for her own death.
This is peak abuser language and a public battering of a woman killed by an abusive government agent.
My latest:
open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
This is peak abuser language and a public battering of a woman killed by an abusive government agent.
My latest:
open.substack.com/pub/ruthzaka...
Trump has always told us exactly who he is — a violent racist. And I bet the Exonerated Five are having a lot of feelings about all the folks just *waking up* to this right now.
February 6, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Trump has always told us exactly who he is — a violent racist. And I bet the Exonerated Five are having a lot of feelings about all the folks just *waking up* to this right now.
The news isn’t that Trump is a racist and violent man. We already knew that. The news is that he debases the presidency and this entire country with his racism and violence. That American voters handed him the power to do so. And that the Republican party continues to enable it.
This is overt racism. Full stop. There’s no ‘misinterpretation’ and no excuse. This is who he is, who he’s always been, and why he should never be anywhere near power again. And there’s a reason the tapes from The Apprentice have never been released.
February 6, 2026 at 11:48 AM
The news isn’t that Trump is a racist and violent man. We already knew that. The news is that he debases the presidency and this entire country with his racism and violence. That American voters handed him the power to do so. And that the Republican party continues to enable it.
Adrian Conejo Ramos, Liam’s dad: “The government is moving many pieces, it's doing everything possible to do us harm, so that they’ll probably deport us. We live with that fear too.”
Hasn’t this regime done enough harm to this family already?
Hasn’t this regime done enough harm to this family already?
BREAKING: The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
DHS has requested expedited deportation proceedings against family of Liam Conejo Ramos
The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
www.mprnews.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Adrian Conejo Ramos, Liam’s dad: “The government is moving many pieces, it's doing everything possible to do us harm, so that they’ll probably deport us. We live with that fear too.”
Hasn’t this regime done enough harm to this family already?
Hasn’t this regime done enough harm to this family already?
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
“If you read or share only one article today, make it this:
HOW TRUMP HAS POCKETED $1,408,500,000 … Historically, one thing that has helped bring down authoritarians is public awareness of their use of power of the office for self-enrichment.”
@leahmcelrath.bsky.social
No paywall:
archive.is/ZmfJC
HOW TRUMP HAS POCKETED $1,408,500,000 … Historically, one thing that has helped bring down authoritarians is public awareness of their use of power of the office for self-enrichment.”
@leahmcelrath.bsky.social
No paywall:
archive.is/ZmfJC
January 21, 2026 at 7:11 AM
“If you read or share only one article today, make it this:
HOW TRUMP HAS POCKETED $1,408,500,000 … Historically, one thing that has helped bring down authoritarians is public awareness of their use of power of the office for self-enrichment.”
@leahmcelrath.bsky.social
No paywall:
archive.is/ZmfJC
HOW TRUMP HAS POCKETED $1,408,500,000 … Historically, one thing that has helped bring down authoritarians is public awareness of their use of power of the office for self-enrichment.”
@leahmcelrath.bsky.social
No paywall:
archive.is/ZmfJC
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
I will never get over that a man who is named in the Epstein files thousands of times had the racist nerve to call Mexicans rapists.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
February 4, 2026 at 10:54 PM
I will never get over that a man who is named in the Epstein files thousands of times had the racist nerve to call Mexicans rapists.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
This is why we included no guns in polling places in the recent MA gun safety law. And it’s just one reason why the NRA is trying to repeal that law through a ballot referendum. MA folks, I am chairing the ballot campaign to protect the law: Vote Yes for a Safe MA.
And we need your help… 1/2
And we need your help… 1/2
As I warned in my article yesterday, Trump will use ICE to intimidate voters. And now Steve Bannon just confirmed that is EXACTLY the plan:
February 4, 2026 at 1:27 PM
This is why we included no guns in polling places in the recent MA gun safety law. And it’s just one reason why the NRA is trying to repeal that law through a ballot referendum. MA folks, I am chairing the ballot campaign to protect the law: Vote Yes for a Safe MA.
And we need your help… 1/2
And we need your help… 1/2
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
While the federal government could (or would) not figure out how to keep the survivors’ identities or pictures from public view, they did manage to redact the name of a dog. And also the name Joseph from a description of a nativity scene. Screenshot is below. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/04/n...
Epstein files rife with uncensored nudes and victims’ names, despite redaction efforts - The Boston Globe
The Justice Department has blamed technical or human errors on the problems and said it has taken down many of the problematic materials.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:11 AM
While the federal government could (or would) not figure out how to keep the survivors’ identities or pictures from public view, they did manage to redact the name of a dog. And also the name Joseph from a description of a nativity scene. Screenshot is below. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/04/n...
While the federal government could (or would) not figure out how to keep the survivors’ identities or pictures from public view, they did manage to redact the name of a dog. And also the name Joseph from a description of a nativity scene. Screenshot is below. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/04/n...
Epstein files rife with uncensored nudes and victims’ names, despite redaction efforts - The Boston Globe
The Justice Department has blamed technical or human errors on the problems and said it has taken down many of the problematic materials.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:11 AM
While the federal government could (or would) not figure out how to keep the survivors’ identities or pictures from public view, they did manage to redact the name of a dog. And also the name Joseph from a description of a nativity scene. Screenshot is below. 1/2 www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/04/n...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
In the category of many things can be true at the same time…
Yeah, I just need folks to read this thread.
Yeah, I just need folks to read this thread.
THREAD 🧵:
The Epstein files are real. The antisemitism they're fueling is also real.
And right now, the second part is getting almost no attention.
The Epstein files are real. The antisemitism they're fueling is also real.
And right now, the second part is getting almost no attention.
February 4, 2026 at 10:56 PM
In the category of many things can be true at the same time…
Yeah, I just need folks to read this thread.
Yeah, I just need folks to read this thread.
I will never get over that a man who is named in the Epstein files thousands of times had the racist nerve to call Mexicans rapists.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
February 4, 2026 at 10:54 PM
I will never get over that a man who is named in the Epstein files thousands of times had the racist nerve to call Mexicans rapists.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
That he is president, sitting in the White House while Mexicans are disappeared from their homes tells you all you need to know about white supremacy in this country.
This is why we included no guns in polling places in the recent MA gun safety law. And it’s just one reason why the NRA is trying to repeal that law through a ballot referendum. MA folks, I am chairing the ballot campaign to protect the law: Vote Yes for a Safe MA.
And we need your help… 1/2
And we need your help… 1/2
As I warned in my article yesterday, Trump will use ICE to intimidate voters. And now Steve Bannon just confirmed that is EXACTLY the plan:
February 4, 2026 at 1:27 PM
This is why we included no guns in polling places in the recent MA gun safety law. And it’s just one reason why the NRA is trying to repeal that law through a ballot referendum. MA folks, I am chairing the ballot campaign to protect the law: Vote Yes for a Safe MA.
And we need your help… 1/2
And we need your help… 1/2
It’s a concentration camp.
Documents obtained by the ACLU show the Department of Homeland Security planned purchase and transform a vacant warehouse in Merrimack, New Hampshire into a Boston ICE processing center.
Documents confirm ICE plans for N.H. warehouse; state officials knew for weeks
Documents obtained by the ACLU show the Department of Homeland Security planned purchase and transform a vacant warehouse in Merrimack, New Hampshire into a Boston ICE processing center. While the dep...
www.wbur.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:07 PM
It’s a concentration camp.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
ICE has been around for less time than I’ve had my license to practice clinical social work and if I was running around killing and disappearing people the social work board would shut me down in a heartbeat. And I’d be in jail.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
February 3, 2026 at 10:58 PM
ICE has been around for less time than I’ve had my license to practice clinical social work and if I was running around killing and disappearing people the social work board would shut me down in a heartbeat. And I’d be in jail.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
A woman asks you a question about sexual assault and you tell her to smile more.
You can’t make this shit up.
You can’t make this shit up.
KAITLAN COLLINS: What would say to Epstein survivo---
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
February 3, 2026 at 10:59 PM
A woman asks you a question about sexual assault and you tell her to smile more.
You can’t make this shit up.
You can’t make this shit up.
Trump wants $1 billion from Harvard to hold them responsible for the “targeting of Jewish American students on their campus”.
An antisemite demanding cash to stop antisemitism.
Not in my name.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/03/b...
An antisemite demanding cash to stop antisemitism.
Not in my name.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/03/b...
‘It’s all talk’: At Harvard, Trump’s $1 billion demand is just the latest in seemingly endless negotiations - The Boston Globe
As Trump again escalates demands on Harvard, many on campus are tiring of all the talk.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Trump wants $1 billion from Harvard to hold them responsible for the “targeting of Jewish American students on their campus”.
An antisemite demanding cash to stop antisemitism.
Not in my name.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/03/b...
An antisemite demanding cash to stop antisemitism.
Not in my name.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/03/b...
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
my two asks for electeds (reasonable ones, imo):
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
“Elizabeth has flu-like symptoms, while her mom has broken out in hives, Gutierrez said. Neither has been given any medicine or testing — a particular concern given the measles cases in the facility.”
Elizabeth is a Columbia Heights fourth-grader who loves volleyball, learning English and giggling in the halls with her friends. She's been held in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for nearly a month, and she and her mom have both fallen ill. sahanjournal.com/education/co...
February 4, 2026 at 12:52 AM
my two asks for electeds (reasonable ones, imo):
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.
Fucking surreal that people dressed like this and carrying assault rifles are permitted to kidnap people off our streets
February 4, 2026 at 12:53 AM
This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.
A woman asks you a question about sexual assault and you tell her to smile more.
You can’t make this shit up.
You can’t make this shit up.
KAITLAN COLLINS: What would say to Epstein survivo---
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
February 3, 2026 at 10:59 PM
A woman asks you a question about sexual assault and you tell her to smile more.
You can’t make this shit up.
You can’t make this shit up.
ICE has been around for less time than I’ve had my license to practice clinical social work and if I was running around killing and disappearing people the social work board would shut me down in a heartbeat. And I’d be in jail.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
February 3, 2026 at 10:58 PM
ICE has been around for less time than I’ve had my license to practice clinical social work and if I was running around killing and disappearing people the social work board would shut me down in a heartbeat. And I’d be in jail.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
Shutting down ICE is not a radical stance.
“Their jobs would require being exposed to ‘sensitive, violent, sexual and/or other offensive or disturbing content,’ the waiver said, emphasizing that such content ‘may be disturbing, traumatizing, and/or cause you psychological stress.’”
Exposed. Imagine being the victims. This is so awful.
Exposed. Imagine being the victims. This is so awful.
".. There’s no question that he is intimately involved with Grok — with the programming of it .. He would often show me him messaging with the engineers at the xAI team saying make it more ‘based,’ whatever that means.”
@washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
@washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Inside Musk’s bet to hook users that turned Grok into a porn generator
Under pressure to boost its popularity, Elon Musk’s xAI loosened guardrails and relaxed controls on sexual content, setting off internal concern.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:50 PM
“Their jobs would require being exposed to ‘sensitive, violent, sexual and/or other offensive or disturbing content,’ the waiver said, emphasizing that such content ‘may be disturbing, traumatizing, and/or cause you psychological stress.’”
Exposed. Imagine being the victims. This is so awful.
Exposed. Imagine being the victims. This is so awful.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
Therein lies the problem. ICE is terrorizing Los Angeles, and local police are choosing not to enforce the law banning masked federal agents.
This is how trust collapses.
This is how trust collapses.
February 3, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Therein lies the problem. ICE is terrorizing Los Angeles, and local police are choosing not to enforce the law banning masked federal agents.
This is how trust collapses.
This is how trust collapses.
Reposted by Ruth Zakarin
It’s not a crime to shoot a woman in the face (and call her a fucking bitch) and it’s not a crime to party with a pedophile.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
February 3, 2026 at 2:43 AM
It’s not a crime to shoot a woman in the face (and call her a fucking bitch) and it’s not a crime to party with a pedophile.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
It’s not a crime to shoot a woman in the face (and call her a fucking bitch) and it’s not a crime to party with a pedophile.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
February 3, 2026 at 2:43 AM
It’s not a crime to shoot a woman in the face (and call her a fucking bitch) and it’s not a crime to party with a pedophile.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.
This administration is devastating to the domestic and sexual violence prevention movement. Devasting to survivors too.