Stephanie Mencimer
@smencimer.bsky.social
Senior reporter Mother Jones. Utah native. Send me tips at smencimer@motherjones.com or securely on Signal at smencimer.48 or smencimer@proton.me
A Florida sheriff had a message for Kyle Rittenhouse: "I think you’re a joke" www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
A Florida sheriff had a message for Kyle Rittenhouse: "I think you’re a joke"
The once-famous teenage shooter's comeback lasted exactly one week.
www.motherjones.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:36 PM
A Florida sheriff had a message for Kyle Rittenhouse: "I think you’re a joke" www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The 24 best books we read in 2025 www.motherjones.com/media/2025/1...
The 24 best books we read in 2025
New nonfiction and fiction titles we loved, plus some older ones that were just right for the moment.
www.motherjones.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:39 PM
The 24 best books we read in 2025 www.motherjones.com/media/2025/1...
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis.
“It’s about as sad as you can possibly imagine."
www.motherjones.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
all i'm saying is that there were better options
December 12, 2025 at 5:25 AM
all i'm saying is that there were better options
seems on brand. they'd rather waste taxpayer money on dodgy companies promising to build mobile nuclear plants. (and what could go wrong?)
Utah Leaders Are Hindering Efforts to Develop Solar Despite a Goal to Double the State’s Energy Supply, by @anjeanette-damon.bsky.social
Utah Leaders Are Hindering Efforts to Develop Solar Despite a Goal to Double the State’s Energy Supply
Solar power accounts for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state’s power grid. Utah Republicans’ hard turn against solar mirrors President Donald Trump’s hostile approach to the...
www.propublica.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
seems on brand. they'd rather waste taxpayer money on dodgy companies promising to build mobile nuclear plants. (and what could go wrong?)
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
New from me: Whooping cough cases are skyrocketing, but CDC is silent—plus the agency's new second-in-command is the former Louisiana surgeon general, a vaccine critic who waited till two babies died of whooping cough to sent out an alert to his state. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The new CDC leader’s whooping cough scandal
“It continues to be appalling, the type of people RFK Jr. is putting into high-level positions in CDC.”
www.motherjones.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:44 PM
New from me: Whooping cough cases are skyrocketing, but CDC is silent—plus the agency's new second-in-command is the former Louisiana surgeon general, a vaccine critic who waited till two babies died of whooping cough to sent out an alert to his state. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
when my 80-year-old father recently faceplanted and cut his head open at 10:30 pm on a Friday, my first thought was definitely: hold on Dad while I call a few ERs and ask them how much they will charge you for the week in the neuro ICU we didn't know you needed so we can get the best price.
Roger Marshall: "We want patients to become consumers again. We want patients to see what the actual prices are. We believe that if we would add the price tags to this bill, that it would save the country a trillion dollars a year."
December 11, 2025 at 3:44 PM
when my 80-year-old father recently faceplanted and cut his head open at 10:30 pm on a Friday, my first thought was definitely: hold on Dad while I call a few ERs and ask them how much they will charge you for the week in the neuro ICU we didn't know you needed so we can get the best price.
My @motherjones.com colleague @dfriedman.bsky.social was working on a story about a top aide to Pete Hegseth. Then Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec threatened to write a scurrilous story about him. ow.ly/EpQp50XHpYo
I asked the Pentagon about Pete Hegseth's mentor. Then the threats started.
Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal.
ow.ly
December 11, 2025 at 3:32 PM
My @motherjones.com colleague @dfriedman.bsky.social was working on a story about a top aide to Pete Hegseth. Then Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec threatened to write a scurrilous story about him. ow.ly/EpQp50XHpYo
I just realized that Trump's big beautiful bill indexes the estate tax exemption to inflation. So a tax cut for rich dead people will go up every year, while the federal minimum wage, for poor working alive people, is still stuck at the same non-indexed $7.25 an hour that's been since 2009. ok then.
December 9, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I just realized that Trump's big beautiful bill indexes the estate tax exemption to inflation. So a tax cut for rich dead people will go up every year, while the federal minimum wage, for poor working alive people, is still stuck at the same non-indexed $7.25 an hour that's been since 2009. ok then.
This is so utterly infuriating and embarrassing for Weber State. I went there and an not actually surprised that it would happen there. I wish the speakers had just gotten up and read out all the bad words and dared the school to shut them down.
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
December 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
This is so utterly infuriating and embarrassing for Weber State. I went there and an not actually surprised that it would happen there. I wish the speakers had just gotten up and read out all the bad words and dared the school to shut them down.
Jesus. HHS Officially Rescinds Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule www.medpagetoday.com/geriatrics/g...
HHS Officially Rescinds Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule
Nursing home providers praised the move, while one patient group called it 'very disappointing'
www.medpagetoday.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Jesus. HHS Officially Rescinds Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule www.medpagetoday.com/geriatrics/g...
"Repeat these words: Face. church. daisy. red. velvet." Can you draw a cube? Put hands on a clock to show 11:00? Count backwards from 100 by 7? then you too are a stable genius.
Trump on his cognitive test: “I'm a smart person, not a stupid person…I got every question right, and these are tough questions. These are questions that I would say 99% of the people that I'm talking to right now, meaning…the fake news, would not do well in those exams.”
December 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM
"Repeat these words: Face. church. daisy. red. velvet." Can you draw a cube? Put hands on a clock to show 11:00? Count backwards from 100 by 7? then you too are a stable genius.
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
NEW: President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bring federal agents, or even soldiers, to San Francisco to battle crime. His administration has actually done the opposite, quietly taking federal law enforcement away from the city to do immigration work instead.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
December 2, 2025 at 12:26 PM
NEW: President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bring federal agents, or even soldiers, to San Francisco to battle crime. His administration has actually done the opposite, quietly taking federal law enforcement away from the city to do immigration work instead.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Brief recap:
On Friday, the WaPo reported that SecDef Hegseth personally ordered the execution of helpless survivors of a military attack, literally the definition of a war crime.
Since then, no other outlet has been to able to replicate that reporting, even though they’d love to. (1/2)
On Friday, the WaPo reported that SecDef Hegseth personally ordered the execution of helpless survivors of a military attack, literally the definition of a war crime.
Since then, no other outlet has been to able to replicate that reporting, even though they’d love to. (1/2)
December 2, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Brief recap:
On Friday, the WaPo reported that SecDef Hegseth personally ordered the execution of helpless survivors of a military attack, literally the definition of a war crime.
Since then, no other outlet has been to able to replicate that reporting, even though they’d love to. (1/2)
On Friday, the WaPo reported that SecDef Hegseth personally ordered the execution of helpless survivors of a military attack, literally the definition of a war crime.
Since then, no other outlet has been to able to replicate that reporting, even though they’d love to. (1/2)
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
"ha ha bitches, I got a new scooter" is a Top 20 line of the 21st century
I love him. “The first time I caught up to [ICE], I could tell that they already knew who I was. They had seen me before, so they thought they were just going to speed away. I was like, ‘Ha ha, bitches, I got a new scooter!’”
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe—and make federal agents uncomfortable.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:27 PM
"ha ha bitches, I got a new scooter" is a Top 20 line of the 21st century
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
The administration is detaining international students with valid visas at airports, seizing their devices, interrogating them for hours, then holding some incommunicado for days or weeks, allegedly because of paperwork irregularities, traffic tickets, or old misdemeanors.
Police state stuff.
Police state stuff.
The High Cost of Targeting International Students in Texas - The American Prospect
The Trump administration’s bans and airport detentions stop international students, and their hefty tuitions, in universities.
prospect.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM
The administration is detaining international students with valid visas at airports, seizing their devices, interrogating them for hours, then holding some incommunicado for days or weeks, allegedly because of paperwork irregularities, traffic tickets, or old misdemeanors.
Police state stuff.
Police state stuff.
What Trump's Medicaid cuts mean for two podcasters with Down syndrome www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
What Trump's Medicaid cuts mean for two podcasters with Down syndrome
Medicaid-funded services are their lifeline—and make their work possible.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM
What Trump's Medicaid cuts mean for two podcasters with Down syndrome www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
An incident in a locker room has always been key to Riley Gaines’ anti-trans fame.
But @msjpauly.bsky.social spoke to swimmers who were present at the same 2022 meet. They shared a very different narrative. ow.ly/o3wq50XuCzp
But @msjpauly.bsky.social spoke to swimmers who were present at the same 2022 meet. They shared a very different narrative. ow.ly/o3wq50XuCzp
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
ow.ly
November 20, 2025 at 1:59 PM
An incident in a locker room has always been key to Riley Gaines’ anti-trans fame.
But @msjpauly.bsky.social spoke to swimmers who were present at the same 2022 meet. They shared a very different narrative. ow.ly/o3wq50XuCzp
But @msjpauly.bsky.social spoke to swimmers who were present at the same 2022 meet. They shared a very different narrative. ow.ly/o3wq50XuCzp
How John Roberts made Donald Trump’s imperial presidency: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
This is all John Roberts’ fault
Trump owes his corrupt and abusive reign to one man.
www.motherjones.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:52 PM
How John Roberts made Donald Trump’s imperial presidency: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
An ICE employee was among 16 men arrested after trying to solicit a minor for sex in Bloomington, Minnesota, police say
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a press conference. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a press conference. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
November 19, 2025 at 2:34 AM
An ICE employee was among 16 men arrested after trying to solicit a minor for sex in Bloomington, Minnesota, police say
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a press conference. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said during a press conference. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
I'd really want to know about the guardrails being implemented here, given our recent results in @nature.com showing that people are likely to ask LLMs to help them cheat with taxes, and that LLMs are likely to accept
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TurboTax is about to be integrated into ChatGPT, where customers will be guided through tasks tied to their tax filings or financial profile by the AI chatbot.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
November 19, 2025 at 11:41 AM
I'd really want to know about the guardrails being implemented here, given our recent results in @nature.com showing that people are likely to ask LLMs to help them cheat with taxes, and that LLMs are likely to accept
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop
After the George Floyd protests, a former military contractor named Nathan Seabrook brought the war home.
www.motherjones.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Veterans who have fought in foreign wars are coming home to work as private security personnel. What happens when they bring war tactics to guard the local mall? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How a mercenary became a Minneapolis mall cop
After the George Floyd protests, a former military contractor named Nathan Seabrook brought the war home.
www.motherjones.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Veterans who have fought in foreign wars are coming home to work as private security personnel. What happens when they bring war tactics to guard the local mall? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Stephanie Mencimer
Michael Bell, sentenced to death for murder, spent time at a Florida reform school so violent that the state later apologized for the abuse and paid millions to the victims.
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Dozens of Teens From Abusive Florida School Ended Up on Death Row
At least 34 boys from the Dozier School were later sentenced to death. Did abuse make them more violent?
www.themarshallproject.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Michael Bell, sentenced to death for murder, spent time at a Florida reform school so violent that the state later apologized for the abuse and paid millions to the victims.
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Bell is among at least 34 boys from Dozier who ended up on Florida’s death row:
Tell that to my back.
JD Vance calls ibuprofen "useless medication" and implies it's not "necessary, safe and effective."
November 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Tell that to my back.