MOTHER JONES DAILY: On Trump’s Orders, Missouri Republicans Plan to Gerrymander a Black Lawmaker Out of Office, Florida's surgeon general just said he will eliminate "all vaccine mandates", New York sues anti-immigration charity for multimillion-dollar misuse of funds, The National Guard soldier pissed about Trump’s DC takeover, Putting military lawyers in charge of immigration courts is problematic—and “unlawful”, How being Black in America almost killed me 3SEP25

 

September 3, 2025 Hi, it’s Al Letson, host of Reveal and More To The Story. This week, we’re bringing you part 1 of a two-part conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Trymaine Lee. At age 38, an otherwise healthy Trymaine turned in the rough draft of his first book about the cost of violence on Black life in America. And that’s when the unthinkable happened. A massive heart attack almost took his life.  Trymaine spent years reporting on gun violence that too often destroys Black lives. He witnessed and wrote about the personal and economic destruction to Black families while bearing the burden of generational trauma. Trymaine’s own family suffered lynchings and senseless murders by gun violence. His near-death experience forced him to reckon with that history, culminating in his book, A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America. Trymaine and I had a lot to talk about, which is why we’re breaking it up into two episodes. This week’s More To The Story is a personal conversation about what it means to be a Black man and journalist in America. I hope you check it out. —Al Letson

Advertisement

On Trump’s Orders, Missouri Republicans Plan to Gerrymander a Black Lawmaker Out of Office “It’s minority rule on steroids." BY ARI BERMAN

MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE THIS IS READER-SUPPORTED JOURNALISM Hard-hitting, in-depth investigative reporting is expensive—that’s why more and more corporate news sources are slashing it from their budgets. But Mother Jones is a nonprofit. We dig it, because it’s our mission. Of course, that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive.   There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Every dollar you chip in will help us produce the journalism that is needed at this crucial moment. Donate Now

Florida's surgeon general just said he will eliminate "all vaccine mandates" BY KIERA BUTLER New York sues anti-immigration charity for multimillion-dollar misuse of funds BY MICHAEL MECHANIC The National Guard soldier pissed about Trump’s DC takeover BY SCHUYLER MITCHELL Putting military lawyers in charge of immigration courts is problematic—and “unlawful” BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS

Advertisement

How being Black in America almost killed me On this week’s “More To The Story,” Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Trymaine Lee discusses how a near-death experience forced him to reexamine the cost of violence on Black lives in America. BY REVEAL

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Share it on Facebook and Bluesky.

Donate Subscribe Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today. www.MotherJones.com PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755