Aaron Mendelson
@amendelson.bsky.social
journalist @thetrace.org. data + investigations. based in los angeles.
priors: the center for public integrity, kpcc/laist, ucbsoj
email: aaron AT aaronmendelson dot com
priors: the center for public integrity, kpcc/laist, ucbsoj
email: aaron AT aaronmendelson dot com
Pinned
Aaron Mendelson
@amendelson.bsky.social
· Sep 18
The Quiet Crisis: What’s Driving Gun Suicides Among Older Americans?
More and more older Americans are dying by firearm suicide, a new analysis from The Trace and GQ reveals. Older white men and those in rural areas experience alarmingly high rates.
www.thetrace.org
Older Americans have the highest rates of gun suicide of any age group. Not by a little — by a lot.
Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...
Why? I spent months exploring this question through data, field reporting, and interviews with experts. Our story is up today on @thetrace.org
www.thetrace.org/2025/09/gun-...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
here in LA it's really quiet but that's also how it sounds after a big Rams win
January 26, 2026 at 3:10 AM
here in LA it's really quiet but that's also how it sounds after a big Rams win
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 25, 2026
January 24, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 25, 2026
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
The victim of today's ICE shooting in Minneapolis is the 5th person to be shot and killed by federal immigration agents since President Trump began his crackdown last year.
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids?
The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.
www.thetrace.org
January 24, 2026 at 6:34 PM
The victim of today's ICE shooting in Minneapolis is the 5th person to be shot and killed by federal immigration agents since President Trump began his crackdown last year.
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
This is the 19th time they've opened fire.
We're tracking incidents here:
The song "Purple Rain" is like the eighth best song on this album
Prince’s 'Purple Rain' hits a new U.K. peak more than 40 years on. The soundtrack returns to the Official Vinyl Albums Chart at #25, climbs to #4 on the Official Soundtrack Albums chart, and reenters Albums Sales at #42.
January 22, 2026 at 8:28 PM
The song "Purple Rain" is like the eighth best song on this album
Finished Gravity's Rainbow (pictured here when I first cracked it open nearly a month ago).
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Finished Gravity's Rainbow (pictured here when I first cracked it open nearly a month ago).
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
Putting in a plug for @johnsemley3000.bsky.social's online guide, which helped me keep track of the hundreds of characters and dozens of narrative threads www.gravitysrainbowguide.com
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Prominent L.A. eviction lawyer Dennis Block — who once said he has "evicted more tenants than any other human being on the planet Earth" — is now facing disciplinary charges from the CA State Bar. 👇
January 12, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Prominent L.A. eviction lawyer Dennis Block — who once said he has "evicted more tenants than any other human being on the planet Earth" — is now facing disciplinary charges from the CA State Bar. 👇
Shootings plunging, gun sales dipping, data on ICE raid uses of force — we're tracking all this and more in my quarterly @thetrace.org data roundup, 92 Days In Gun Violence
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
January 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Shootings plunging, gun sales dipping, data on ICE raid uses of force — we're tracking all this and more in my quarterly @thetrace.org data roundup, 92 Days In Gun Violence
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
www.thetrace.org/2026/01/shoo...
Thinking about reporting I did ten years ago about LA Sheriff's deputies firing into cars, which led to the department banning the practice laist.com/news/kpcc-ar...
Officer Involved: Shooting at suspects in cars is dangerous, LA sheriff found, so why didn't it stop?
While LAPD officers have largely stopped shooting into moving cars, LA County sheriff's deputies have continued the practice despite policy changes.
laist.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Thinking about reporting I did ten years ago about LA Sheriff's deputies firing into cars, which led to the department banning the practice laist.com/news/kpcc-ar...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Update: As of January 7, The Trace has identified 28 incidents, including 14 shootings, in which federal agents shot someone or held them at gunpoint during an immigration enforcement action under Trump’s crackdown. At least four people have been killed and five others have been injured.
How Many People Have Been Shot in ICE Raids?
The Trace is tracking gun incidents connected to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Know of one? Please be in touch.
www.thetrace.org
January 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Update: As of January 7, The Trace has identified 28 incidents, including 14 shootings, in which federal agents shot someone or held them at gunpoint during an immigration enforcement action under Trump’s crackdown. At least four people have been killed and five others have been injured.
73-9 record is looking safer every day
January 5, 2026 at 3:40 AM
73-9 record is looking safer every day
Yes, crazy. But how ugly are these Hornets jerseys? They look like bags of Cheetos
December 31, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Yes, crazy. But how ugly are these Hornets jerseys? They look like bags of Cheetos
favorite albums of 2025, no real order:
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
December 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM
favorite albums of 2025, no real order:
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
Cotton Crown, The Tubs
Moisturizer, Wet Leg
Entrance Music, Okonski
Instant Holograms On Metal Film, Stereolab
New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Getting Killed, Geese
From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba / No ID
(1/2)
What a play by Purdy. He’s a joy to watch when he’s playing like this
December 29, 2025 at 3:35 AM
What a play by Purdy. He’s a joy to watch when he’s playing like this
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
After what we're seeing at CBS, if today is not the perfect day for everyone to find some independent journalism & nonprofit newsrooms to support... what day could be better?
December 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
After what we're seeing at CBS, if today is not the perfect day for everyone to find some independent journalism & nonprofit newsrooms to support... what day could be better?
Powerful story from @calmatters.org. 5,825 Californians aged 70+ died by gun suicide between 2009 and 2023 — especially in places like rural Douglas City.
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
Older men in rural California are dying by suicide. How officials are trying to save lives
In Trinity County, isolation, pain, and limited healthcare drive gun suicides among seniors. Health officials plan prevention programs to address the crisis.
calmatters.org
December 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Powerful story from @calmatters.org. 5,825 Californians aged 70+ died by gun suicide between 2009 and 2023 — especially in places like rural Douglas City.
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
Reporting by @ab-ibarra.bsky.social & Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, with an assist from the Gun Violence Data Hub
calmatters.org/health/2025/...
I've probably spent, cumulatively, a week plus of my journalism career helping editors find emails
December 17, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I've probably spent, cumulatively, a week plus of my journalism career helping editors find emails
🚨 new dataset alert 🚨
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
December 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
🚨 new dataset alert 🚨
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
The Gun Violence Data Hub now features data on 78k active federal firearms licensees, which we've geocoded.
Have also just added monthly data on the number of FFLs by type in each state. Check it out!
datahub.thetrace.org/dataset/fede...
I say it every year but ... if your previous NiemanLab prediction didn't come true you should be forced to apologize publicly or to just stay silent for the next 10 years
December 8, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I say it every year but ... if your previous NiemanLab prediction didn't come true you should be forced to apologize publicly or to just stay silent for the next 10 years
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Good reporting here about a troubling trend from Rocky Mountain PBS: www.rmpbs.org/blogs/health...
A rising number of older Coloradans are dying from gun suicides. Why? | Rocky Mountain PBS
Behind Colorado’s hidden public health crisis.
www.rmpbs.org
December 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Good reporting here about a troubling trend from Rocky Mountain PBS: www.rmpbs.org/blogs/health...
Hard to believe it's been ten years since the mass shooting in San Bernardino www.latimes.com/california/s...
San Bernardino: The mass shooting that helped Trump redefine America's immigration debate
A decade ago, 14 people were gunned down in San Bernardino. Survivors and family of the victims are still processing what happened, and the national impact.
www.latimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Hard to believe it's been ten years since the mass shooting in San Bernardino www.latimes.com/california/s...
It should be illegal to release a "best of" list on December 2
December 2, 2025 at 6:12 PM
It should be illegal to release a "best of" list on December 2
Yerba Buena Island is a strange place
November 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Yerba Buena Island is a strange place
Powerful story from @taylorblatchford.bsky.social on suicide among older Washingtonians, drawing in part on Gun Violence Data Hub figures www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
November 25, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Powerful story from @taylorblatchford.bsky.social on suicide among older Washingtonians, drawing in part on Gun Violence Data Hub figures www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Reposted by Aaron Mendelson
Yearly deaths caused by cars and trucks striking pedestrians rose 70 percent between 2010 and 2023, an examination of federal data and other public records by The Post shows.
The deadliest roads in America
The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Yearly deaths caused by cars and trucks striking pedestrians rose 70 percent between 2010 and 2023, an examination of federal data and other public records by The Post shows.