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Political Research Associates

@praeyesright.bsky.social

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Political Research Associates. Social justice research and strategy center since 1981. Publishers of The Public Eye magazine

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Nov 14

Today, PRA joined the movement to #eXit Elon Musk's Twitter. From today on, you'll find our newest outputs here on Bluesky. Follow us for the latest research and analysis on the U.S. and global Far Right as we head into this coming period of authoritarian repression and much-needed Left resistance.

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 13h

Following our episode on building alternative economic systems, we’ve compiled a list of resources to help you better understand and combat authoritarianism. Learn more here: politicalresearch.org/2025/10/09/b....

REsources:
Building Alternative Economic Systems to Fight Authoritarianism with Hialy Gutierrez and Claudia Espinel

Media Justice, mediajustice.org
Corporate Media Is Capitulating to Trump, 2025
Qasim Rashid, Esq., Let’s Address This with Qasim Rashid
Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians, 2024
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, NYU Press
What Is Movement Infrastructure?
How Movements Sustain Us Amid Rising Authoritarianism, 2024
Cloee Cooper, The Public Eye

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 1d

PRA Deputy Research Director @hialy.bsky.social and Claudia Espinel explore the connections and contradictions among economic systems, political infrastructure, ideology, and authoritarianism in this episode of Inform Your Resistance. Tune in now: politicalresearch.org/2025/10/09/b....

Building Alternative Economic Systems to Fight Authoritarianism with Hialy Gutierrez and Claudia Espinel

politicalresearch.org

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 2d

In a Q&A with PRA, Silky Shah, author of ‘Unbuild Walls’, discusses why an abolitionist approach to immigration is needed to combat the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant authoritarianism. Learn more: politicalresearch.org/2025/09/23/w....

“We Must Fight for Everyone” for Immigrant Justice
Author Q&A with Silky Shah on Unbuild Walls
By Ethan Fauré
“The strategy of ‘good’ immigrant versus ‘bad’ immigrant ultimately targets all immigrants. We knew that would happen: As abolition teaches us, that’s how the system works. If you accept that some people deserve such treatment, they’ll expand who’s deserving.“
— Silky Shah

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 7d

PRA Senior Research Analyst Annie Wilkinson appeared on @juliekkohler.bsky.social’s White Picket Fence podcast to discuss how authoritarian regimes depend on gender essentialism and misogyny to consolidate power. Tune in now to learn more: lnk.to/wpfep1.

America's Gender Whiplash

America is facing a gender backlash—a backlash so swift and severe, it feels more like a whiplash. Right now, no group is more at risk than trans Americans. On his first day back in the White House, T...

lnk.to

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 8d

PRA's @fredclarkson.bsky.social speaks with @jodi-enda.bsky.social in @msmagazine.com about the New Apostolic Reformation movement's link to the killing of Melissa and Mark Hortman. Learn more in this four-part series on the rise in anti-abortion violence under Trump: msmagazine.com/2025/09/18/r....

'Dad Went to War': The Radical Faith Behind the Minnesota Assassinations

The killing of Melissa and Mark Hortman highlights the danger of radicalized religion and America’s escalating antiabortion violence.

msmagazine.com

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 10d

See @hardymerriman.bsky.social's Q&A with Scot Nakagawa to learn more about backfire principals and nonviolent strategies of resistance: politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/q....

Q&A: Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence

A discussion with Hardy Merriman and Scot Nakagawa on the Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE-PV) project, and what strategies communities can use to resist political violence.

politicalresearch.org

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 10d

“You don’t necessarily need people doing things that are high-risk. You just need large numbers of people doing them,” says Hardy Merriman in an episode of @newyorker.com’s ‘The Political Scene’ discussing strategies of resistance in a backsliding democracy. Tune in now!

Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure

The comedian has returned to late-night TV. What can the response to his suspension teach us about countering Trump?

www.newyorker.com

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 14d

Following our recent episode of Inform Your Resistance, we compiled a list of resources to give you more insight into how anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion organizing reinforce authoritarian norms and politics: politicalresearch.org/2025/09/25/i....

REsources:
“It's Never Just About Gender”: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2

Authoritarians Must Break Your Will to Resist — So What Can You Do About It?, 2024
Steven Gardiner, Religion Dispatches
Capitol Offenses: January 6th 2021 & The Ongoing Insurrection, 2022
Steven Gardiner and Tarso Luís Ramos, PRA
Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation, 2025
Political Research Associates, The Public Eye
One Year In: A Q&A with Tarso Luís Ramos on Trump’s First Year in Office, 2018
,Tarso Luís Ramos and Kathryn Joyce, The Public Eye
Authoritarianism, Criminalization, and Reproductive Injustice: A Roundtable Discussion, 2018
,Annie Wilkinson and Mary Reynolds, The Public Eye
The Women Disobey protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) "zero tolerance" policy separation children and families at the US/Mexico border.
Credit: Sarahmirk via Wikimedia Commons

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 14d

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, researchers Annie Wilkinson, @ch4ncie44.bsky.social, and @maryrreynolds.bsky.social are joined by reproductive justice movement leader Norbese Flint to discuss how MAGA weaponizes gender to make authoritarian gains. Tune in now at bit.ly/4mMfgOA.

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, research analysts Annie Wilkinson, Chancie Calliham, and Mary Reynolds are joined by reproductive justice movement leader Norbese Flint to discuss how MAGA weaponizes gender to entrench authoritarianism. Listen to the full episode at https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/25/its-never-just-about-gender-gender-and-authoritarianism-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100.

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 15d

“Kirk may serve a purpose as a martyr for the moment, but it is only ever truly beholden to one messiah: Donald Trump.” @ardenthistorian.bsky.social reports for @religiondispatches.org on Charlie Kirk’s memorial service and how his death is being used to advance MAGA's agenda: ow.ly/VJpG50X1CPh.

Part MAGA Rally Part Christian Revival — Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Service Includes Numerous Calls for 'Spiritual Warfare'

Sunday’s Charlie Kirk memorial service was part MAGA rally, part fundraising event for Turning Point USA—but mostly, it was a religious revival. The more than 70,000 attendees witnessed the canonizati...

ow.ly

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 15d

Kirk’s first attempt to fuse education and Christian nationalism was the short-lived Falkirk Center at Liberty University. Kirk and then-Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. started the center in November 2019 with the mission to reinvigorate American ideals and “Judeo-Christian values in all aspects of life,” explicitly rejecting Christian “peace” rhetoric to urge supporters to see themselves at war.

In March 2020 TPUSA announced the launch of Turning Point Academy, which would “develop and distribute K-12 curricula focused on American history, our founding principles, the Constitution, and economics.”

TPUSA under Kirk became a center for multi-platform right-wing content creation as a tactic to stay relevant with a younger demographic. While TPUSA was built around millennial attention and social media virality, in order to maintain that attention it has adopted increasingly aggressive stances, turning the organization into a sustained culture war machine.

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 15d

Charlie Kirk took Turning Point USA from an organization advocating for free markets to a center for content creation pushing forward his Christian nationalist agenda. Read about the Kirk’s transformation from a free market proponent to a Christian nationalist here: bit.ly/42bPn35.

Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA) focused on conservative economic themes such as free markets in the initial years of its founding. But gradually, Kirk created a new larger “culture war” mission grounded in Christian nationalism.

In a 2019 speech, Kirk invited his fellow Christians into a version of culture war tinged with antisemitism. He claimed that liberal philanthropist George Soros, not merely content with “winning at the ballot box,” was funding a program to put liberal pastors in churches across the country.

At the February 2020 CPAC convention, Kirk offered his most public endorsement of Christian nationalism yet when he praised Trump as a president who understood the “seven mountains of cultural influence,” a term frequently used by Christian nationalists to refer to various areas of society they believe Christians are entitled to take “Dominion” over through culture and laws

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Reposted by Political Research Associates

Ms. Magazine @msmagazine.com · 18d

The killing of Melissa and Mark Hortman highlights the dangerous convergence of radicalized religion and America’s escalating antiabortion violence.

'Dad Went to War': The Radical Faith Behind the Minnesota Assassinations

The killing of Melissa and Mark Hortman highlights the danger of radicalized religion and America’s escalating antiabortion violence.

msmagazine.com

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 22d

Shanice Octavia McBean and @rachelshabi.bsky.social join us for our final episode of Lifting the Curtain On Antisemitism. Listen in as we explore how progressives can build alliances, challenge false framings around antisemitism, and deepen their understanding of the issue: ow.ly/k56950WZ1m1.

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · 28d

In this episode of Lifting the Curtain, Leo Ferguson from @jfrejnyc.bsky.social and PRA’s @vetanthropology.bsky.social explore the intertwined histories of antisemitism and racism, and how politics around Israel's genocide in Palestine are challenging these movements. Tune in now: ow.ly/jK7a50WVW3s.

Anti-Antisemitism and Antiracism with Leo Ferguson and Steven Gardiner

This episode of Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism breaks down how antisemitism is tied to anti-immigrant movements and anti-Blackness, and how they work together to reinforce systems of oppression.

ow.ly

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Sep 10

Speaking in the video is @benlorber8.bsky.social

Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Sep 10

This episode of Lifting the Curtain takes a deep look into the role of antisemitism in the global far-right ecosystem, paying close attention to the U.S. and Germany. Tune in now to listen to the full conversation with @eladn.bsky.social and Dr. Stefanie Schüler-Springorum: ow.ly/zuLJ50WUOC0.

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Sep 9

In this episode of Lifting the Curtain, We are joined by Lara Friedman and Yousef Munayyer to discuss the ongoing efforts to suppress criticism of Israel under the guise of fighting antisemitism — efforts which are fueling authoritarianism. Tune in now:
ow.ly/vKpX50WU8j6

Weaponizing Antisemitism to Advance Authoritarianism with Lara Friedman and Yousef Munayyer

This episode discusses ongoing efforts to suppress criticism of the Israeli government’s oppression of Palestinians under the guise of fighting antisemitism—efforts which are fueling authoritarianism ...

ow.ly

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Sep 5

In this episode of Lifting the Curtain, guest host Natasha Roth-Rowland talks to scholars Valentina Pisanty and @jelenasubotic.bsky.social about the anatomy and function of conspiracy theories and the role of antisemitism within them. Tune in now at bit.ly/47v3Bj6.

Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism
episode 2:
Conspiracy Theories, Antisemitism, and the Politics of Holocaust Memory with Valentina Pisanty and Jelena Subotić

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Sep 4

We are excited to announce the release of Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism, a mini-series from PRA and Diaspora Alliance! In this episode, hosts Shoshana Brown and @benlorber8.bsky.social define antisemitism and discuss how it's being weaponized post-October 7th. Listen now: bit.ly/4m3BT0v.

What is Antisemitism and its Weaponization? A Conversation for Movement Organizers with Shoshana Brown and Ben Lorber

This episode dives into discussing antisemitism—its history, how it looks today, how to understand it, & why the fight over defining it has become a means of targeting Palestinians and their allies wh...

bit.ly

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Aug 29

Listen to the trailer for Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism, a new miniseries on the weaponization of antisemitism and paths to collective liberation, created by PRA and Diaspora Alliance: politicalresearch.org/lifting-curt.... Tune in on September 3rd for the release of all episodes!

Lifting the Curtain on Antisemitism podcast art

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Aug 22

In 2020, PRA released an annotated directory of prochoice religious groups in the U.S as a resource for those seeking support in light of legislative setbacks to reproductive rights. Find the full directory here: politicalresearch.org/2020/09/28/a....

An Annotated Directory of the Prochoice Religious Community in the United States

This directory lists the current prochoice and reproductive justice elements of organized religion in the United States. It is intended primarily as a resource for those seeking to support these value...

politicalresearch.org

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Aug 21

Writer and feminist historian Angela Hume discusses how the anti-abortion movement is designed to inflict harm on women and LGBTQ people. Learn more at ow.ly/GpTZ50WJFtK.

Lessons from Bay Area Radical Abortion Defense From Countering the Ideology of “Violent Care by Angela Hume

For five years, Angela Hume interviewed dozens of activists—lay abortion care providers and clinic defenders primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area—listening as they discussed their work from the 1970s to the 2000s. Their work included everything from building abortion clinics, to learning how to perform manual suction abortions and providing them in the community, to defending clinics against militant anti-abortion harassers (“antis”).

Of antis, longtime abortion defender Laura Weide told her simply, “They wanted to hit women.” She recalled holding the clinic defense line in the early 1990s against mobs of White men who would punch and kick them. These antis were members of Operation Rescue, a national anti-abortion organization that obstructed clinics in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On any given day, hundreds of its members would blockade a clinic to shut it down.

The anti-abortion movement claims that it protects women. But this far-right movement, and the broader Right, actually harms and exploits women. Grasping this contradiction—and how for the Right it is not a contradiction at all—is essential for resisting this fascistic ideology today.

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Aug 20

Earlier this year, PRA and our partners hosted a roundtable with gender and reproductive justice activists and change makers to better understand criminalization during this period of authoritarian consolidation. Learn more at politicalresearch.org/2025/03/12/a....

“Everything about our politics and our policies in the reproductive justice movement has to be different. And as we think about what we’re centering, if we put abortion bans and the anti-abortion movement at the center of our organizing, then we aren’t dreaming of what we deserve.“
The Public Eye Winter/Spring 2025
What changes in our analysis if we put authoritarianism and criminalization at the center of attacks on reproductive justice, rather than the anti-abortion movement and abortion bans?
Dr. jamila Perritt
President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health

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Political Research Associates @praeyesright.bsky.social · Aug 19

In this article for @barnraiser.bsky.social, PRA’s @fredclarkson.bsky.social highlights why media coverage of the Minnesota shooter, Vance Boelter, needs to pay closer attention to his ties to the NAR, an anti-democratic faction of the Christian Right: barnraisingmedia.com/did-religion...

Did Religion Motivate Assassination of Minnesota Lawmaker?

The media may be overlooking a critical motivation in Vance Boelter’s alleged assassination of Melissa Hortman: religious extremism

barnraisingmedia.com

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