Gavin Aronsen

Gavin Aronsen

Reporter

Gavin is a Mother Jones reporter in the DC bureau.

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Gavin is an Iowa native, and covered the 2008 first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses for the Ames Tribune. His work has also appeared in the Agence France-Presse, Iowa Independent, Manhattan Media, and VillageVoice.com.

Gay Rights and the GOP in the Iowa Caucuses

—By

| Fri Jan. 21, 2011 5:00 AM PST

Anti-gay-rights crusader Bob Vander Plaats buddied up with Chuck Norris and played a central role in Mike Huckabee’s Iowa caucus victory in 2008. Last November, he successfully got voters to oust three state Supreme Court justices whose decision opened the door to gay marriage. Now he's got his eye on the 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses. But how far can GOP presidential hopefuls go to appease social conservatives without alienating an increasingly tolerant general electorate?

Today Vander Plaats heads the "Christ-centered" Family Leader, the umbrella organization for groups including the Iowa Family Policy Center, whose president routinely says things like, "The secondhand impacts of certain homosexual acts are arguably more destructive, and potentially more costly to society than smoking." The Family Leader, determined to make evangelical family values central to the 2012 election, has announced plans to host a series of speeches by the next batch of presidential aspirants starting with former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

[Read more in the MoJo blog]

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I Was a Wayne Barrett Intern

—By

| Tue Jan. 4, 2011 4:30 PM PST

I almost never got the chance to meet Wayne Barrett, who announced today that he's been let go from the Village Voice after more than three decades at the weekly as one of New York's best political journalists.

As it turned out, I had the pleasure to be among his final interns when, last summer, he taught me the fine art of hounding politicians without mercy after digging deep through the archives, ensuring we neglected no one with anything to hide.

[Read more in the Riff blog]

Misdemeanors Hurt Local Economies, Poor People

—By

| Fri Dec. 17, 2010 12:12 PM PST

A new report from the left-leaning American Constitution Society presents a not-so-new proposal: Local and state governments that are strapped for cash should reclassify certain misdemeanors as non-criminal infractions. Robert Boruchowitz, a Seattle University law professor and the report's author, writes that it could save the nation's indigent defense system "hundreds of millions, perhaps more than $1 billion per year."

The easiest place to start, Boruchowitz says, may be to ease up on poor people caught driving with licenses that were suspended for outstanding traffic fines. Also on his list are pot possessors, dog leash violators, homeless-feeders, and—a suggestion that could have saved me a headache back in college—minors in possession of alcohol.

It makes you wonder: If the benefits are so obvious, why haven't more places already changed their laws?

[Read more in the MoJo blog]

Pot Beats Cigarettes Among High School Seniors

—By

| Wed Dec. 15, 2010 2:42 PM PST

In the past month, 21 percent of high school seniors smoked pot, while just 19 percent lit up a cigarette. That's according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) annual Monitoring the Future survey, released yesterday. The LA Times reports that it's the first time this has happened since 1981.

But while the Times called the findings a "victory for public health campaigns aimed at stamping out cigarette smoking among teens," don't expect the FDA to adopt a pot leaf for any of its proposed anti-cigarette warning labels. The survey, which also questioned 8th and 10th graders about their illicit drug habits, noted a "significant" rise in daily marijuana use across all three grades.

[Read more in the Blue Marble blog]

Top Dem on Gun Control Says She's Working With GOPers—But Won't Give Names or Numbers
Fri Apr. 5, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

John McCain Flashback: The Gun-Show Loophole is "Wrong"
Tue Apr. 2, 2013 1:39 PM PDT

Obama on Gun Violence: "Shame on Us If We've Forgotten"
Thu Mar. 28, 2013 10:33 AM PDT

Rand Paul Threatens to Filibuster Gun Control Bill
Tue Mar. 26, 2013 8:19 AM PDT

The Assault Weapons Ban Ain't Dead Yet
Thu Mar. 21, 2013 3:56 PM PDT

Did Andrew Cuomo Just Backtrack on New York's Gun Ban?
Wed Mar. 20, 2013 4:09 PM PDT

Feinstein's Assault Weapons Ban All But Dead
Tue Mar. 19, 2013 8:51 AM PDT

NRA Targets UN Arms Trade Treaty, Again
Mon Mar. 18, 2013 1:03 PM PDT

10 Crazy Gun Laws Introduced Since Newtown
Fri Mar. 15, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Assault Weapons Ban Heads to Senate Floor, Where It Will Probably Die
Thu Mar. 14, 2013 10:02 AM PDT

The Showdown Over Gun Laws From Coast to Coast
Fri Mar. 1, 2013 3:29 PM PST

SCOTUS to Consider Challenge to Campaign Donation Limits
Tue Feb. 19, 2013 1:15 PM PST

Under Obama, Feds Holster Gun Cases
Fri Feb. 15, 2013 4:01 AM PST

Was Hitler Really a Fan of Gun Control?
Fri Jan. 11, 2013 4:01 AM PST

SEC Could Require Corporations to Disclose Their Dark Money
Tue Jan. 8, 2013 12:26 PM PST

What the FBI's Occupy Docs Do—and Don't—Reveal
Mon Jan. 7, 2013 4:01 AM PST

Will the Senate Blunt a Federal Marijuana Crackdown?
Fri Dec. 14, 2012 4:13 AM PST

Obama Inauguration Accepting Unlimited Corporate Cash
Fri Dec. 7, 2012 4:35 PM PST

Free-Market Group Fights to Save California Oyster Farm
Fri Dec. 7, 2012 4:03 AM PST

How the War on Drugs Caused the Fake Pot Problem
Wed Dec. 5, 2012 4:12 PM PST

2012's Most Loved and Hated Attack Ads
Fri Nov. 30, 2012 4:08 AM PST

Crist and GOP Officials Accuse Republicans of Voter Suppression
Mon Nov. 26, 2012 1:46 PM PST

Timeline: How the Benghazi Controversy Unfolded
Thu Nov. 15, 2012 5:00 PM PST

New Group Unveils Its Plan to Get Money Out of Politics
Tue Nov. 13, 2012 4:17 PM PST

The Man Behind Citizens United Says 2012 Has Vindicated Him
Mon Nov. 12, 2012 4:08 AM PST

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Nov. 9, 2012 4:03 AM PST

How 2012's Biggest Ballot Measures Played Out
Wed Nov. 7, 2012 2:26 PM PST

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Nov. 2, 2012 3:08 AM PDT

Texas, Iowa Threaten to Arrest Election Observers
Wed Oct. 31, 2012 3:42 PM PDT

Video: The First Silent Political Ad
Fri Oct. 26, 2012 4:28 PM PDT

Occupy Oakland Returns to the Streets For One Night
Fri Oct. 26, 2012 3:08 PM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Oct. 26, 2012 3:03 AM PDT

23 Ballot Measures to Keep an Eye On
Wed Oct. 24, 2012 3:03 AM PDT

Searching High and Low for Voter Fraud in Iowa
Mon Oct. 22, 2012 3:03 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Oct. 19, 2012 3:03 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Oct. 12, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

Scoop: Ben & Jerry's Cofounder Wants to Freeze Money in Politics
Wed Oct. 10, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

Would an Obama Win Hurt Campaign Finance Reform?
Tue Oct. 9, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Oct. 5, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Sep. 28, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

Are Super-PACs Overhyped?
Fri Sep. 28, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Sep. 21, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Sep. 14, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

Activists Question Black Panther-FBI Informant Story
Tue Sep. 11, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Sep. 7, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Aug. 31, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Aug. 24, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Aug. 17, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

19 Wacky Presidential Candidates You've Never Heard Of
Mon Aug. 13, 2012 3:01 AM PDT

This Week in Dark Money
Fri Aug. 10, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

UN Adopts Historic Arms Trade Treaty Despite NRA Opposition

The United States Senate is not expected to approve it, however.

Tue Apr. 2, 2013 11:58 AM PDT

Background Checks May Be Gun Control's Best Hope, for Now

Gun control advocates think public pressure will force enough senators to support tighter restrictions on sales.

Wed Mar. 27, 2013 1:51 PM PDT

Doctors Caught in Crossfire of Nutty Obama Conspiracy Theory

From South Carolina to Montana, legislators are pushing controversial "docs vs. Glocks" laws.

Wed Mar. 20, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Should Colleges Buy Ammo for Student Gun Clubs?

A controversy at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill adds heat to the debate over firearms on campus.

Wed Mar. 13, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Blam! These Tykes Got Busted for "Guns" Made of Legos, Pop-Tarts, and Paper

After Newtown, school officials are cracking down on kids even just for talking about firearms.

Fri Mar. 8, 2013 9:54 AM PST

Newtown "Changed America," But Will Congress Change Gun Laws?

"The way the laws are now, it will happen again," a grieving Newtown father says at a Senate hearing on assault weapons.

Wed Feb. 27, 2013 3:56 PM PST

More Than Half of Mass Shooters Used Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines

Congress considers banning weapons that have caused carnage in shopping malls, schools, and city streets.

Wed Feb. 27, 2013 4:01 AM PST

"A Killing Machine": Half of All Mass Shooters Used High-Capacity Magazines

31 of 62 mass shooters we investigated used these powerful ammo feeding devices. Will Congress ban them?

Wed Jan. 30, 2013 4:01 AM PST

MAP: Does Your State Let You Carry a Gun on Campus?

Five states now do, and seven others may soon follow—including Texas, where a shooting just shook up a community college.

Wed Jan. 23, 2013 6:56 AM PST

US Mass Shootings, 1982-2012: the Data From Our Investigation

62 Cases: Profiles of the killers, what weapons they used, prior signs of mental illness, and more.

Fri Dec. 28, 2012 2:40 PM PST

151 Victims of Mass Shootings in 2012: Here Are Their Stories

Bearing witness to the worst year of gun rampages in modern US history.

Fri Dec. 21, 2012 2:16 AM PST

What Happened in the Newtown School Shooting

There's no explaining such a horrific act, but here's important background information.

Fri Dec. 14, 2012 1:52 PM PST

MoJo's Interactive Guide to Voter Suppression and Poll Problems

Updating now through Election Day. Also: Voting problem in your area? Here's how to report it to us.

Sat Nov. 3, 2012 3:03 AM PDT

Charts: The Frackers' Well-Oiled Political Machine

How the domestic drilling frenzy fills campaign coffers and kills off accountability.

November/December 2012 Issue

A Guide to Mass Shootings in America

There have been at least 62 in the last 30 years—and most of the killers got their guns legally.

Updated: Wed Feb. 27, 2013 7:45 AM PST

An Interactive Map of the Dark-Money Universe

Red giants, blue dwarfs, and cash-sucking black holes: Welcome to the final frontier of money in politics.

Wed Jun. 27, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

Want to Ditch Citizens United? A DIY Guide

Pick your own path to an America without super-PACs.

Mon May. 21, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

Leveling Up

When they're not signing up distributors, MLMs are recruiting politicians.

May/June 2012 Issue

"#$#! I Just Got Tear Gassed!" and Other MoJo Tales From Occupy May Day

Photos, video, and dispatches from our correspondents in New York City, DC, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Tue May. 1, 2012 12:00 AM PDT

The "People" Behind the Super-PAC Explosion

No, not that kind of people. The Citizens United-approved corporate kind.

Tue Feb. 7, 2012 4:00 AM PST

The Biggest Little GOP Donors in Texas

Everything's bigger in the Lone Star state—campaign contributions included.

Mon Jan. 30, 2012 4:00 AM PST

Chart: How Texans Win Friends and Influence Elections

From charities to GOP dark-ops groups, these Texas megadonors share the same rarified circles.

January/February 2012 Issue

The Top 20 Donors of 2012 (So Far)

The casino mogul betting $5 million on Newt Gingrich, Wall Streeters for Mitt Romney, Obama's Hollywood pal, and the other 1 percenters trying to sway the race.

Tue Jan. 10, 2012 4:00 AM PST

Iowa Votes!

On-the-ground updates from the Iowa caucuses.

Tue Jan. 3, 2012 6:47 PM PST

Forget the US News College Rankings. Enroll Here and Actually Get a Job.

Here are nine top-notch degree programs in fields that are both cool and hiring like mad.

Thu Sep. 15, 2011 3:00 AM PDT

Scenes From GOP's Iowa Presidential Blitz

Intimate snapshots from the Iowa Straw Poll.

Sun Aug. 14, 2011 7:29 AM PDT

Will Big Solar Bulldoze Sacred Tribal Sites?

Why tribes believe solar companies are playing fast and loose with Native American heritage.

Fri Apr. 1, 2011 12:01 AM PDT