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Russell Payne (page 4)

Russell Payne is a staff reporter for Salon, covering the right and how it wields power from his base in New York City. His reporting has previously appeared in The New York Sun and the Finger Lakes Times. Follow on Bluesky and send tips on Signal at russellpayne.72.

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Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., outside the Roybal Federal building in Los Angeles, June 9, 2025. (Carlin Still/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Progressive Dems pick their latest primary target — and it’s a modest surprise

Russell Payne
Vice President JD Vance looks on as President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office, Sept. 2, 2025. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Big Beautiful Bill” goes to the Dumpster: GOP now claims it’s a tax cut

Russell Payne
Rep. Marc LaHood, R-San Antonio, looks at a congressional redistricting map during debate of a congressional redistricting plan in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Austin. (Photo by Jay Janner/Getty Images)

New Texas maps: Doom for Democrats — or do they hold a hidden prize?

Russell Payne
Protesters outside Trump Tower in New York, July 4, 2025. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Republicans thought they could escape the Big Beautiful Bill. It’s not working

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The distraught wife and crying children of a man detained by federal agents outside the courtroom where his hearing took place at the New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court, August 20, 2025. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

“Who’s going to take care of your child?”: Parents reel from Trump ICE crackdown

Russell Payne
Governor of California Gavin Newsom attends a press conference in Beijing on October 25, 2023. (WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)

Newsom promises “new Democratic Party” amid GOP redistricting push

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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about California redistricting plans at a press conference at the Democracy Center, Japanese American Museum on August 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Democrats probably can’t win the redistricting wars

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Randy Villegas at HEAT Ultra Lounge on May 30, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Connor Treacy)

California’s top Democrats aren’t convinced a progressive can win

Russell Payne
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu speaks during a press conference in Marquette Park on August 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Texas Democrats signal likely end of gerrymander battle

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Steve Bannon, former advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives for a hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on February 11, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The GOP plot to gain 40 seats without winning any more votes

Russell Payne
Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-Clint, Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and Rep King King, R-Canadian, stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Austin, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images))

Texas Democrats face a “complicated” long game

Russell Payne
A person, who declined to be named, views a U.S. Congressional District map as the Senate Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting meets to hear invited testimony on Congressional plan C2308 at the Texas State Capitol on August 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

GOP power grab puts voting rights advocates in a bind

Russell Payne
Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (C) and Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu (R) listen as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks to reporters during a press conference at the DuPage County Democratic Party headquarters on August 03, 2025 in Carol Stream, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Texas Dems to DC: “Do something — or get out of the way”

Russell Payne
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speak to the media outside the Capitol on April 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Are Democrats blowing it? A “blue wave” is no sure thing

Russell Payne
Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, speaks at an endorsement event from the union DC 37 on July 15, 2025, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“Vote blue no matter who,” unless it’s Mamdani?

Russell Payne
Federal agents on an armored vehicle, Los Angeles, July 7, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

American democracy is crashing out and it will be hard to reverse, international rights group warns

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Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on July 21, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

ICE is about to go on a hiring spree

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US President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2025 US Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, New York, on May 24, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Meet the young Republicans who want to deport Zohran Mamdani

Russell Payne
Two ICE agents film the press using smartphones in the hallway outside the immigration court in New York USA on July 11, 2025. (MADISON SWART/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Pressure grows to unmask ICE

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Protesters wrapped in pride and trans pride flags sit on a wall during a trans rights demonstration. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Suicide hotline changes are a “direct attack” on trans youth

Russell Payne
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents look over lists of names and their hearing times and locations inside the Federal Plaza courthouse before making arrests on June 27, 2025 in New York. (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)

“Cried every night”: ICE detains child with leukemia

Russell Payne
An aerial view shows the south side of the city of Douglas next to the double wall on the US-Mexico next to the Mexican city of Agua Prieta (L) in Douglas, Arizona, on October 15, 2024. (OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)

In Arizona, Democrats battle over who’s the real “outsider”

Russell Payne
Olga Urbina and her 9=month-old son Ares Webster participate in a protest outside the Supreme Court over President Donald Trump's move to end birthright citizenship as the court hears arguments over the order in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2025. (DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images)

Judge pauses Trump’s effort to abolish birthright citizenship

Russell Payne
New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani, D-N.Y., greets voters with Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Blake on 161st Street on June 24, 2025 in the South Bronx in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Mamdani’s Democratic critics want to ruin his shot at winning

Russell Payne
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