18 years after my first tweet, I'm out. Find me on Substack, B1uesky, Instagram, donnaladd.com and all mississippifreepress.org platforms. It's been real
Jackson
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This is patently false, per @USATODAY factcheck: "SB-145 will not affect the criminal status of sex between minors and adults." (Also, Ingraham supported Roy Moore, so this belated concern with pedophilia is cute at best.)
Factcheck: usatoday.com/story/news/fact…
Pedophilia on its way to being recognized as a protected lifestyle. Congratulations, California. And happening nationally if Biden gets to fill the courts.
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Oh my. Mississippi’s own Morgan Freeman has entered the chat. Watch.
Thank you @maddow, the @NAACP is dedicated to encouraging, uplifting and supporting the black community as we display our #PowerAtThePolls. #BlacktheVote #VoteOurLivesDependOnIt
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NEW, horrible news from @ashtonpittman: A fifth child has died from Covid in Mississippi.
8th Grader Dies With COVID Hours After Reeves Downplays Child Cases mississippifreepress.org/148…
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All, please don’t be shocked that Mississippi has *always* been run as a state to provide spoils to wealthy white men with media’s complicity, either directly or by focusing on trivia and horse races. It is systemic corruption built and maintained to multiply, feed itself forward
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Sorry to be a pain, all. We just doubled our server space and site back up if you haven't been able to read piece yet (it's worth it). Fingers crossed. We appreciate all the interest. mississippifreepress.org/649…
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They are an official hate group, and this is the kind of “journalism” that assists in the rise of fascism, @ABC.
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Not at our shop. We are not afraid to report the truth, especially when lives of our people here in Mississippi are at stake and leadership is so poor.
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We so appreciate all the donations from all corners of Mississippi, and the U.S., at mfp.ms/donate since @ashtonpittman broke this news with this amazing in-depth piece Thursday night. Your donations (and pledges) are getting us close to our October goal. THANK YOU.
Yesterday, we broke the story of how white election officials quietly moved thousands of Black voters into an already packed precinct without their knowledge.
Please help @MSFreePress keep reporting truth to power with a donation to non-profit journalism: mfp.ms/donate
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The cost of American selfishness. Now is a time where we have to re-examine what it means to care about other people who don't know or agree with. Trump turns the volume on division all the way up, and we're paying the price. We have to choose to turn it down and protect others.
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She just lied and made it to Supreme Court? Nobody fcking fact-checked??
A Colorado web designer who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled could refuse to make a wedding website for gay couples had cited a request from a man who says he never asked to work with her. apnews.com/article/supreme-c…
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This really, really looks like the 1960s and before when Klansmen and other terrorists knew white leaders had their backs.
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Hearing @colbertlateshow quoted @ashtonpittman's @MSFreePress headline about Thanksgiving dinner-Christmas funerals makes me proud even if it's for horrific reasons. I've heard that the headline alone made some folks cancel big Thanksgiving gatherings. Saving lives is the point.
I heard this headline quoted on Steven Colbert today! Great job, I am so glad that you are getting this attention. Hard work should pay off.
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Folks shocked at what’s happening in US right now didn’t grow up in a state obsessed with “nullification” of any attempt to roll back white supremacy and enfranchise Black vote during their lifetimes. This isn’t surprising; every effort was needed in ‘16 and before to prevent it.
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1. Those catching up to #jxnwater crisis need to be skeptical of hot takes. For one, it is false to say the crisis is "not about politics." Politics have been woven through this for decades. Read below thread and @nickjudin's explainer series:
mississippifreepress.org/jac…
LATEST: 180,000 people in Jackson will be without safe water for drinking or even brushing their teeth "for an unknown period of time," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in an emergency press briefing tonight.
He warns: "DO NOT DRINK THE WATER."
mississippifreepress.org/267…
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So a state senator 17 years my junior told me to "go to bed" rather than answering my question about the source of his CRT graphic, and that tells you so much of what you need to know about #msleg right there in one tweet.
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My God, Mississippi. Jackson now. ❤️💛🧡🤎🖤 #BlackLivesMatter #BLMSip
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Oh my. Someone just alerted me that @mehdirhasan name-checked me and my NBC systemic-racism column in this monologue a couple times—plus drew info from @arielle_amara's fantastic Jackson integration piece in @jxnfreepress a few years back.
Thank you, Mehdi, for sharing our work.
"Jackson right now is what American structural racism looks like. In America almost all roads lead back to race. Even the fact that this morning 10s of 1000s of mostly Black Americans didn't have clean water to even brush their teeth."
Watch my monologue:
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So y’all know what happened in case you hear and not hearing from me as much for a bit. All is OK. 🌹🙏🏻❤️
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“The distribution of women”
This is seriously creepy shit. Like every gross, abusive, weirdo man deserves a woman to follow his orders and spread his seed.
No, women get to choose the quality of partners we want. To have children or not. Oh, and to own and love our pets.
Daily Wire host goes on strange sexist rant: “The central purpose of every society is to figure out the distribution of women ... Women cannot take care of themselves” mediamatters.org/daily-wire/…
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1. Looks like the Mississippi Angry White Men’s Club (c) got their Jackson-bashing talking-points memo overnight from HQ (not in Mississippi).
Remember: Not a single one of them is racist, implicitly or explicitly, and their families never benefitted from racism or slavery.
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I can’t help but think of all the roads and bridges closed and out across Mississippi and how that affects emergency services. We’re a state suffering from top-down neglect and perpetual greed.
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1. LAST THREE DAYS.
For those new to Old Mississippi game, ugly racist and/or misogynistic hate comes out when (a) my publications reporting of real systemic history/context regardless of party hits old guard’s collective nerve + (b) when national media elevate our work.
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How far are we exactly from Handmaid’s Tale here?
Oklahoma Republicans have introduced a bill that would create a government-run database that tracks women considering abortions
trib.al/ZUIYBqN
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Sigh.
#Mississippi is moving toward more intense scrutiny of low-income people on public assistance, an action that comes as a former state welfare director and five other people have been charged with misusing millions of dollars intended for the poor. #TANF ow.ly/ZRSP30qlEcF
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It bears reminding the world that this Mississippi House vote in favor of changing #MSFlag was by a Republican supermajority. #MSLeg #TakeItDownMS
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This news floored me. You’d have to be an outspoken woman leader from and in Mississippi who challenges the status quo and even dares to critique media to fully understand just how floored.
Thank you, @mbjournal. 💜
Congratulations 👏🏽👏🏽to Donna Ladd, co-founder editor and CEO, on being named one of Mississippi's Top CEOs. Her vision to serve Mississippi in a new and different way are the heart of everything we do. mississippifreepress.org/lis…
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I know it’s a packed and scandalous news cycle, but this may well be the most urgent story of the last 24 hours. Don’t let it disappear.
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Fixing this racist, misogynistic power system is going to take far more than convicting Klansmen from 60 years ago or exposing politicians recently out of office.
It will take a full interrogation of the systems that allow corruption to continuing propagating—and media’s role.
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DRUMROLL: The Pittmans have done it again! @ashtonpittman and Liam went live with this essential timeline of sourced, confirmed texts/emails bet ween Phil Bryant, Brett Favre, Nancy New, more in order/context overnight. More #MSWelfare entries soon mississippifreepress.org/279…
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Last comment tonight: Mississippi needed statewide mask mandate in schools declared weeks ago. Listen to medical experts, doctors. Do anything and everything possible to save every child and teacher and stop the spread.
That is the only moral priority now. Leaders must demand it
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Hinds County grand jury report 135 years ago today shared the brutal realities of private leasing of imprisoned people in Mississippi—in case you were taught that slavery horrors ended with emancipation.
Not only in Mississippi: search Sugar Land, Texas. calendar.eji.org/racial-inju…
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I guess this is why @msfreepress server crashed a bit ago. Thanks, @maddow, for sharing this important story @ashtonpittman enterprised and broke last night.
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They have go-to government PR outlets calling selves “journalists” who are just there to provide cover. They will only talk to them and probably get advance questions. They play naive journalists against each other, rewarding those who play along with do-called “scoops.”
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With all eyes on Jackson, if you want to understand how systemic and structural racism has (re)shaped our city, read this piece now.
Reporter @aliyahveal will take you to school with this vital systemic reporting.
This is how we do it.
mississippifreepress.org/197…
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I’ll say it again. The whole state of Mississippi is crumbling. For the same reasons as Jackson.
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It’s impt to note how hard, fast the officially guilty in #MSWelfare scandal (and their attorneys) are apparently dropping information (publicly or not) against other alleged prominent players. This can be good, but it must be handled carefully and as transparently as possible.
A picture of Nancy New, for those of us unacquainted with the disgusting villainess in this revolting saga
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The UM football team owning their power after walking out of practice today to protest racism, police brutality and the Oxford Confederate statue. @OleMissFB
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.@TateReeves: "I'm not going to sit up here and answer every crazy idea y'all come up with because it's not productive."
Nearly every question has been incisive and intelligent. He just can't or won't answer most of them because they don't fit his narrative. This was telling.
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This is hideous. My teams are working day and night while worrying about their families and livelihoods to get real information out about dangers and possible #covid_19 solutions as too many politicians downplay crisis and attack press. Seriously, anyone doing that can go to hell
Some in our media can’t contain their glee & delight in reporting that the U.S. has more #CoronaVirus cases than #China
Beyond being grotesque,its bad journalism
We have NO IDEA how many cases China really has but without any doubt its significantly more than why they admit to
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1. I'm digging into racist muck of Mississippi Sovereignty Commission files for their take on violence in Jackson/Hinds County for #MSRaceViolence piece. A 1967 Mississippi Crime Commission report, and it's full of gems. This one is full US "history" many would like taught, eh?
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Hell done froze
NEW: Bill O'Reilly on the Capitol riot: "President Trump’s failure to tamp down the angry protestors supporting him in Washington has destroyed his legacy. Our divided nation turns to you, Joe Biden. Defuse it. As best you can." abcn.ws/2LgqJdn
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Oh so glam. Remember this is the governor of Mississippi who regularly gets media passes and normalized like he's not carrying water for men who promote fascist, racist ideals across the globe and support border cages. Who paid for ticket to this party? jacksonfreepress.com/news/20…
Proud to have joined my friends @Nigel_Farage and @peggy_grande in NYC at an event to support the fight for Brexit.
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Editorial: US Attorney Mike Hurst should resign for taking parents from work while their kids were at their first day of school with nowhere to go, then holding presser bragging about LARGEST raid ever Anyone else agree? #ICERaids
LARGEST Single-State Worksite Enforcement Action in Nation’s History Conducted TODAY by @ICEgov & @TheJusticeDept at Various Sites Across #Mississippi
Approx. 680 Aliens Detained Pursuant to Federal Warrants
Thank you ICE Acting Director Matt Albence, @DHSgov, @SDMSNews & others
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So glad local @AP team is unpacking real history of state leaders like Tate Reeves and Haley Barbour blocking infrastructure/water assistance for Jackson. This relies in part on @JxnFreePress archives, packed with vital reporting, history and receipts for 20 years now.
Years before people in Jackson were recently left without running water for several days, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves claimed to have helped block money to fund water system repairs in the capital city. to.pbs.org/3UGzzQt
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Thinking about calling in the cavalry tomorrow. It’s one thing to bash and spread false shit about me (used to it), but don’t fuck with my team.
Good night and good luck.
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Good morning, all. As a sexual assault survivor my heart is heavy this morning after this week’s news cycle.
Just saw this quote on FB: “Now a rapist gets to choose the mother of his child.”
That mother may literally be a child if so many politicians have their way. 1/
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UPDATE 🧵 We learned last week that the postal code for these mailers belongs to Ben Sapp, apparently of Brandon; moved here from Alabama. They are registered to his company, Archon Strategies. I reached him this morning, he seemed surprised, said one thing and hung up on me. 1/
"Women who speak out in Mississippi get it from all sides. But, we must; our voices are vital, even if sexist jerks don’t dig it and trot out the nasty in response," Donna Ladd writes.
mississippifreepress.org/271…
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This is treating women like we’re stupid. We know how Mississippi government treats women and children. A trans person peeing in a stall next to us is least of women’s troubles here in state that just recently got around to letting women divorce abusers.
The far-left radicals aren’t going to like it… but in Mississippi, we’re going to protect women’s spaces.
That’s why I am pleased to announce that this morning I signed the SAFER Act into law!
It’s mind blowing that this is what Joe Biden’s America has come to. Having to pass common sense policies that protect women’s spaces was unimaginable just a few years ago. But here we are… we have to pass a law to protect women in bathrooms, sororities, locker rooms, dressing rooms, shower rooms, and more.
There’s no doubt that the left will continue to come up with more kooky ideas that harm biological women. And there’s no doubt that Mississippi will continue to push back on them. That’s because we have to — protecting girls and women from the left’s dangerous agenda is just too important to ignore.
Today is a win for girls and women across our state, and I was proud to sign SB2753 into law. You have my word that as long as I’m governor, our state will do everything in its power to keep Mississippi’s daughters safe. Thank you to all of the girls and women across our state who stood up and made your voices heard! We are grateful for your efforts and proud of you!
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WTF. Had to go to @cvspharmacy in Flowood just now from Jackson for a prescription. White lady working drive-thru told us: “Welcome to God’s Country. Stay clear of Jackson.”
This is racist bullshit in a white-flight suburb, CVS. We live in and love Jackson and its people. 🗑️
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Public must demand that media interrogate every system including how info flows or doesn’t. Since Barbour, those who control state govt squelch free press daily, from freezing out “unfriendly” journalists to demanding written questions to only giving statements. They demonize.
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Be patient so the pandemic goes to reset once again. That is, don’t be stupid even if you have cabin fever. And seriously avoid interacting inside or in groups with the non-vaccinated. Good piece to help you maintain your distancing resolve ... even if vaccinated.
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Congrats to them, but the demographics here are ... jarring.
Congratulations to the newest interns in the @UMMC_Pediatrics Residency Program! It is an honor and a privilege to be a pediatrician. At the MSAAP, we are here to help. A great first step is to join the MSAAP at aapms.org.
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As I was saying earlier. Where? When? Journalists have to support our statements; public servants should, too. We would totally report this if there’s evidence.
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As my phone blows up with people who barely slept over flag vote, I’m thinking about the momentous crossroads Mississippi faces today: We move forward or backward. That’s it: Those are the choices. It’s stark, and terrifying to think #msleg would choose past. #TakeItDown
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We Trekkies who can think clearly are aghast at this misuse of kobayashi maru by someone claiming to be a geek and a genius.
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PAGING @tatereeves: CHILDREN ARE DYING; WE NEED A FREAKIN' STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE IN SCHOOLS NOW. MAN UP AND ACT LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MISSISSIPPIANS' LIVES, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN.
YES, I'M YELLING. CAN YOU HEAR ME IN THE BUNKER?
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Reminders: Charge your devices, all. Power will probably go in Mississippi today far from the Coast.
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Um, @tedcruz’s election scam contributed to this. He should resign.
Devastating. Heidi and I are lifting up in prayer the family of the U.S. Capitol Police officer who tragically lost his life keeping us safe. He was a true hero.
Yesterday's terrorist attack was a horrific assault on our democracy. Every terrorist needs to be fully prosecuted.
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This infuriates me. State and @tatereeves did far too little to protect Mississippians from #COVID19MS and so NOW THEY’RE BLAMING PUBLIC. We told you this would happen. It’s horrifying. Reeves reopened, them blames public. What a grift.
Mississippians are not doing enough to prevent the spread of #COVID19, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned at yesterday’s press event. #coronavirus #MSDH #Mississippi ow.ly/KvZT30qREI3
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Well, this will piss off some folks in power in Mississippi.
ALABAMA, LOUISIANA, and MISSISSIPPI VOTERS: @fairfightaction is working to protect your freedom to vote, and we need to hear from you.
Have you faced obstacles in registering to vote and/or casting your ballot? Share your voting story today at MyVotingStory.com 🗳
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I love “how we did it” and “where we got our information” journalism explainers. Plus, they build public trust.
Research in obscure corners of the internet brought to light evidence that Thomas had made at least one undisclosed trip on Crow’s plane. As the team dug deeper, reporters amassed a detailed picture of what turned out to be decades of unreported trips. propub.li/42yEB4X
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Y’all, look at Mississippi’s flag! So glad we’re starting to leave the 19th century behind. #msflag
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1. I was part of journalism debate 20 years ago in DC arguing against those who said reporters could only be a fly on wall and not help a “subject” in need in any way whatsoever. A doc maker and I were minority voices among MSM reporters/fellows there.
Good to see this changing.
CNN’s @clarissaward stops her live report to help elderly civilians trying to flee Kyiv evacuate as Russian forces close in on the capital city.
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NEW: ACLU and a multiracial group of Jackson residents just sued over 1020. Somebody better check on Pascagoula and Senatobia. It's on: aclu-ms.org/en/press-release…
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Seriously, we are at risk of becoming a Know Nothing nation easily controlled and destroyed by charlatans.
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This is stunning presented like this.
I still can’t believe this happened... nitter.app/mikehearn/status/75526…
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🧵 No, covering up our history of white terrorism and massacres with cheering white crowds to maintain power and white supremacy (and all Black and even white folks who tried to stop it) is dangerous and racist.
#MSRaceViolence in Jones County for instance:
Nothing Donald Trump has ever uttered has been this dangerous, this racist, this caustic, this inflammatory and this uncalled for. Of all the stupid & divisive things @JoeBiden has said over the decades, this may be the worst & most hurtful to bringing us together. Shameful!
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12. Imagine being louder about banning "critical race theory" from schools than need to require masks as the delta variant explodes. They're more worried about anti-racism being taught than whether covid is going to spread and kill without mask mandate.
mississippifreepress.org/142…
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Welcome to Mississippi, all. We’ve been telling you how it really works here for 20 years now.
Cheers to @AP for searching @JxnFreePress archives for receipts.
Jackson, Mississippi applied for state bonds to fix its aging water system.
Governor Tate Reeves (then the state treasurer) bragged that he blocked the bonds.
Then Jackson tried to raise its sales tax to pay for it. The Republican legislature said no. apnews.com/article/ae2460ffc…
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Leave Twitter just because a bunch of white men are trying to staunch and control the flow of information and shape it to serve their interests and silence critics?
Babe, I’m a truth-telling woman editor in MISSISSIPPI. 😘
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We’re seeing progress. But one of my biggest concerns is whether outlets controlled by wealthy white men will fully interrogate systems and be transparent themselves. I tweeted recently about one outlet trying to hurt us to our donors with smears and labeling us “extremist.”
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When I moved back to Mississippi, I learned that “Democrat” had replaced n-word for some as euphemism for Black people when white neighbor warned me that “Democrats” looked at the place next door. “How do you know their party?” I asked. Him, whispering: “you know, Black people.”
Joe Biden claims to be prioritizing ‘safety of kids’ by keeping schools closed this Fall. Yet he remains silent about children being slaughtered by violence on the streets of Democrat run cities. You & your children won’t be SAFE in Biden’s America, and neither will anyone else!
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1. To understand the #jxnwater crisis, revisit my @NBCNewsTHINK column from March 21 about the systemic racism underlying it. Then … nbcnews.com/think/opinion/ja…
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Today, and every day, I salute a woman who gave everything to me: strength, resolve, tenacity, determination and will to do the right thing no matter what others think about it. I write because she couldn’t. Everything I am is because of her.
Miss you every damn day, Mama🌹
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Can’t help thinking about that New England media pundit who told @ashtonpittman and me to stay out of the national “lane” because the Times and the Post have it all covered.
Uh huh.
What an embarrassing rag @WashingtonPost is becoming under its current leadership.
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Such old-school B.S. won’t help our state grow beyond our corrupt, racist, sexist, homophobic past. Media must challenge our whole ecosystem to interrogate systems, not just bad actors, including inside media. Awful media helped create these systems and must help replace them.
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Last year, reporter @nickjudin did the definitive series on the deep roots of the #jxnwater crisis—journalism shared and followed around the world.
It’s not an easy partisan puzzle. Catch up on his award-winning series here:
mississippifreepress.org/jac…
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What is your evidence for this public smear of her other than a reporter using her phone in the field?
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I’m being reported to Trump today by an apparent Mississippi elementary-school teacher who crawled into my mentions the other day to tell me that she can speak for all the black parents of her students who believe Confederate statues symbolize how far they’ve come. What a time.
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Like the white folks who used to crowd in front of Mississippi courthouses to stop Black people from registering to vote. We've seen this. It's ugly as sin. Now, they just want to stop Black people's votes form being counting. Same dance.
Election challengers shout “Stop the count” as poll workers count absentee ballots in #Detroit, Michigan in the 2020 general election @washingtonpost #Election2020
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Dedicated to a certain state senator from the Gulf Coast and friends who believe that anyone who will admit obvious systemic racism and its effects are “Marxist.” You are among stellar historic snd current company. They called all civil-rights efforts “communist”: red-baiting. 😵💫
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US Rep. @BennieGThompson alludes to potential retaliation against workers in his letter to AG Barr Friday. Read the whole thing here: m.jacksonfreepress.com/news/…
The raids coming after workers settled with Koch Foods left people fearing retaliation was at play and will have a chilling effect in immigrant communities, particularly in the south, on reporting labor abuses. newrepublic.com/article/1547…
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Again, @Propublica brings the evidence, not innuendo.
And it’s time to overhaul the highest court’s ethics requirements.
Our story:
Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court
propublica.org/article/samue…
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I told @toddstauffer before the game that Eminem was definitely going to take a freakin' knee. No one was going to stop him.
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Also, please don't think simplistically here: The spoils are often bipartisan and Dems who go along with it can be rewarded, or at least not attacked in the same way. The power structure has blogs parading as media outlets that do the attacking for them.
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We just heard from our family in Asheville who just got cell service. They are flooded in with no water or power, but they’re OK. 🙏🏻
We're getting our first look at the devastation in Western NC, what officials are now calling "Buncombe County's own Hurricane Katrina."
County Emergency Management held a press conference this afternoon, calling the damage "biblical." Here's what we learned:
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