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Russell Payne

Russell Payne is a staff reporter for Salon. His reporting has previously appeared in The New York Sun and the Finger Lakes Times.

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. â" JANUARY 15: People take part in an anti-ICE protest outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 15, 2026. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Most Americans say ICE has gone “too far,” poll finds

Russell Payne
March 1965: American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968) and his wife Coretta Scott King lead a black voting rights march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery; among those pictured are, front row, politician and civil rights activist John Lewis (1940 – 2020), Reverend Ralph Abernathy (1926 - 1990), Ruth Harris Bunche (1906 - 1988), Nobel Prize-winning political scientist and diplomat Ralph Bunche (1904 - 1971), activist Hosea Williams (1926 – 2000 right carrying child). (Photo by William Lovelace/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Conservatives are flipping civil rights principles on their head

Russell Payne
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks as U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) looks on during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on January 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. Schumer and Jeffries spoke to reporters on the recent ICE shooting, limiting President Trump’s war powers in the wake of the Venezuela raid and upcoming floor legislation including the extension of “Obamacare” subsidies. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Democratic leaders resist call of voters to abolish ICE

Russell Payne
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 07: An onlooker holds a sign that reads "Shame" as members of law enforcement work the scene following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, “fearing for his life” killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

“It’s going to happen again”: Residents say ICE is treating Minneapolis as a “war zone”

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(Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Hannah Beier / Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto )

Postmark changes could cause midterm election chaos

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(Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Nestea06)

Nicotine’s comeback is the latest wellness scam

Russell Payne
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 07: A bullet hole is seen in the windshield of a vehicle involved in a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, the agent, "fearing for his life" killed a woman during a confrontation in south Minneapolis. ((Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images))

“Propaganda machine”: Trump and DHS embrace conspiracy theories tied to ICE killing

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(Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Tom Williams / hapabapa / HHS / United States Congress)

“The only thing she practices is grift”: Meet Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General

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President Donald Trump's supporters gather outside the Capitol building in Washington D.C. on January 06, 2021. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

We learned nothing from Jan. 6

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VERNON, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 20: An aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center (LOWER L) with closed-loop cooling system, amid warehouses on October 20, 2025 in Vernon, California. A surge in demand for AI infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The double-edged sword of AI data centers

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Crucifix on a laptop / Luso / Getty Images

Christianity grapples with the rise of an AI Jesus

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(Getty Images)

Congress may be about to create the “bad internet”

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 18: A protester holds a placard after the House voted 427-1 to approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the release of documents and files at the U.S. Capitol on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. The legislation instructs the U.S. Department of Justice to release all files related to the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. It now goes to the Senate for a vote before President Donald Trump can sign it into law. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Epstein files won’t be released by deadline, Department of Justice says

Russell Payne
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 3: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on "The Abduction of Ukrainian Children by the Russian Federation" on Capitol Hill on December 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Congressmen in the House and Senate on both sides of the isle joined the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States and advocates to testify about the Russian war effort to abduct thousands of Ukrainian children and forced to undergo "re-education" and militarization. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Can a Democrat take Mitch McConnell’s seat?

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Colorado's First District candidate Melat Kiros (L) and Rep. Diana DeGrette (R) (Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Anna Moneymaker / Kiros for Congress)

Progressive bid tests Democratic unity in Colorado’s First District

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New Hampshire candidate Kashima Manzur (L) and Rep. Chris Pappas (R) (Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Bill Clark / Karishma for Senate)

Progressive long-shot takes on Democratic establishment in New Hampshire Senate race

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Aftyn Behn’s rise challenges Tennessee’s GOP establishment

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(Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Davidoff Studios / Boris Zhitkov / artisteer)

The fight for the Epstein files isn’t over

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(Photo illustration by Salon / Getty Images / Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

Why Mitch McConnell helped kill the hemp buzz

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 14: U.S. Rep. Ruwa Romman attends as people protest in Philadelphia as part of the No Kings Rallies at Love Park on June 14, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for No Kings)

Ruwa Romman’s case for economic populism in Georgia

Russell Payne
Photo courtesy Darializa Avila Chevalier for Congress

“Always put the people first”: Progressives get a new candidate in New York City

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U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Sunrise Movement targets Dem primaries: “Time to clear house”

Russell Payne
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 6: US Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) makes remarks as she greets voters during a visit at Carondolet Branch Library on August 6, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. Bush is looking to retain her seat in Congress against challenger Wesley Bell in todays Missouri's primary election. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Cori Bush on midterms: “Woke isn’t dead — woke is fighting”

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Photo: Ryan Nichols

The National Guardsman who won’t take orders from Trump

Russell Payne
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