🎙️ Citations Needed | Newsletter 🍂

Dear patrons,

Summer in the northern hemisphere is now officially over... and what a time to be alive. Here's a bit of good news, though: Citations Needed returns this week with our Season 9 premiere.

In the meantime, below are some stories and articles we're been reading.

Thanks again for your ongoing support of the show. We're excited to be back.

— The Citations Needed Team

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The ADL Ignores Yet Another Elon Musk ‘Great Replacement’ Meltdown - Adam Johnson, The Column (September 12, 2025)

Why does the alleged civil rights group continue to give a free pass to America’s most prominent antisemite?

Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Deserves No Mourning - Elizabeth Spiers, The Nation (September 12, 2025)

Charlie Kirk’s killing has led to a series of hagiographies about the right-wing influencer. His legacy will be one of bigotry and harassment. 

Kirk Coverage Downplayed MAGA’s Culture of Violence - Ari Paul, FAIR (September 12, 2025)

In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death, there has been a discussion of a need to oppose violence and have civil debate. The coverage did little to wrestle with the right’s increasing acceptance of violence in common rhetoric and action.

ICE Abducts Man Suing Off-Duty Police for Abusing Day Laborers - Sarah Lazare and Ari Bloomekatz, In These Times (September 13, 2025)

As ICE abducts immigrants with little oversight, one of the men taken from Chicago was a day laborer who sued police for abusing laborers. Advocates say this shows how ICE is used to chill dissent.

The Right’s Scary Quick Campaign to Exploit Charlie Kirk’s Death - Aaron Regunberg, The New Republic (September 17, 2025)

The right has quickly used Kirk’s killing to decry their political enemies, no matter the reality behind the shooting. They have already promised to target speech and promote harassment of dissenters. 

Trepidation, Defiance and Déjà Vu Mark Mexican Independence Day in Chicago - Lilia Fernández, In These Times (September 14, 2025)

The Trump Administration continues its immigration crackdown and is teasing sending the National Guard to Chicago. Revelers at the city’s Mark Mexican Independence Day were both defiant and nervous about the next steps.

Have Private Equity Landlords Met Their Match? - Thomas Birmingham, In These Times (September 9, 2025)

A tenant union is organizing tenants across four states. Their goal is to take on the major private equity firm that owns their homes. 

In Venezuela, Trump Is Engaged in Plain and Simple Murder - Chip Gibbons, Jacobin (September 16, 2025)

Trump ordered the assasination of Venezuelan nationals on a boat, claiming without evidence that they were drug smugglers. This is a straightforward murder with no due process by the government. 

It’s Time to Broaden Our Definition of Political Violence - Kate Aronoff, The New Republic (September 18, 2025)

Political violence has become a major talking point after Kirk’s killing. However, the term has been narrowly defined to exclude many right-wing acts of violence and the regular violence of the Gaza genocide. 

The Economics of Donald Trump’s Mass Deportations - Sophie Bandarkar, Jacobin (September 16, 2025)

Trump’s mass deportation scheme will do little to help the American worker. It is fueling a bonanza for private companies that operate the machinery of the deportation system. 

Trump Sanctions Palestinian Human Rights Groups for Doing Their Job. Anybody Could Be Next. - Sarah Leah Whitson, The Intercept (September 16, 2025)

Trump sanctioned a Palestinian organization based on meritless claims because they were working to support Palestinians. Human rights orgs can only worry if they are next.

The New Defense Bill Could Further Privatize Border Control - Katya Schwenk, Jacobin (September 18, 2025) 

The congressional defense bill would entrench the military at the US border. It would also allow the Department of Defense to hire private contractors for border security.

Kneel Before Zod - John Semley, The Baffler (September 17, 2025)

Who are the most diabolical Hollywood villains of today?, wonders John Semley, writing that, because '[t]here is no longer a foreign 'elsewhere' where we can displace our anxieties," our own pop culture is finally casting the United States itself as "the imperial, authoritarian 'Other.'"

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