Akela Lacy
Verified
Human | reporter @theintercept & co-host 🎙️ The Intercept Briefing podcast | past lives @POLITICO @pulitzercenter | Philly bred | akela.lacy@theintercept.com
Articles by Akela Lacy
Wesley Bell Again Defeats Cori Bush — With Plenty of Help From AIPAC
Fueled by pro-Israel funding, Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., fended off a primary challenge from former Rep. Cori Bush, whom he ousted from Congress two years ago. The race in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District was one of several contests on Tuesday pitting the left and democratic socialists against establishment Democrats in a midterm cycle defined by competing visions for the future of the party. Just over an hour after polls closed, The Associated Press called in Bell’s favor.
Cori Bush Has No Regrets
The internet had a field day last summer when a picture surfaced of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., with his arm around a former Democratic member of Congress. Hawley was at an event in St. Louis, Missouri, celebrating the inclusion of expanded funds for victims of nuclear radiation in President Donald Trump’s signature economic bill. In the photo, the far-right Republican smiled down on former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who had worked with him on the measure, as he embraced her.
Two-Thirds of Shri Thanedar’s Campaign Cash Came Through AIPAC as He Lost Over $600K
Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., lost more than $630,000 in investment income last quarter after he put $3.7 million in campaign funds into the cryptocurrency industry, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission released on Wednesday. Amid those losses, bundlers from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have stepped in to prop up his campaign.
Harlan Crow Maxed Out Campaign Donations to John Fetterman
Billionaire Republican megadonor Harlan R. Crow gave the maximum allowed contribution to the campaign for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday.
Democrats Are Desperate to Flip an Arizona House Seat. They’re Rallying Around a Former Republican.
As the Democratic Party establishment consolidates around a former Republican they hope can flip a key Arizona congressional seat, super PACs are spreading their resources across candidates in the district’s upcoming Democratic primary — and three of the top spenders have ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Maine Senate Candidates Claim They’re Just Like Platner — But Entirely Different
Candidates entering the Maine Senate race after Graham Platner suspended his campaign following a rape allegation are walking a fine line between distancing themselves from the disgraced candidate and embracing his base, which they’ll need to beat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November. As of Friday, at least six candidates have officially declared that they will enter the race, with others still considering their options.
DSA Members Urge Campaigns to Ditch Platner Consultant Who Advised Mamdani
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America circulated a letter calling on candidates and elected officials to refuse to work with the consultants who handled Graham Platner’s campaign, according to screenshots of the letter shared with The Intercept. “We, the undersigned, call on DSA candidates and elected officials to no longer contract or work with Morris Katz or Fight Agency, his political consulting firm,” the letter reads. Katz is not a member of DSA.
“Hobbled Out of the Gate”: Platner Allegations Set Off Scramble to Find a New Maine Senate Nominee
In group chats of progressive activists and political operatives concerned with the state of the Senate race in Maine Wednesday morning, a link to an anonymous Google Doc was making the rounds.
There’s a New Democratic Machine. It’s Unabashedly Socialist.
World News 1 hour ago Trump Admits Pushing FIFA to Let Birthright Citizen Play World Cup Game Rolling Stone - Nikki McCann Ramirez • 1h Donald Trump admitted to personally pressuring FIFA officials to vacate a one-game suspension for Folarin Balogun after the American striker received … Todd Lyons 3 hours ago Man sues DHS after agents tracked him down for sending a scathing email to ICE NPR - Jude Joffe-Block • 3h Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations tried to track down...
There’s a New Democratic Machine. It’s Unabashedly Socialist.
As democratic socialists toppled establishment favorites this midterm cycle, the old guard of the Democratic Party picked up a preferred cudgel against insurgents: These people were propped up by white, urban, coastal, educated electorates — not the ones the Democrats were trying to reach, and certainly not the working class.
Socialist Momentum Grows as Melat Kiros Wins in Denver
Leftists toppled a three-decade incumbent they’d made the face of the Democratic Party’s failures on Tuesday in Denver amid an anti-establishment wave that has powered progressive and socialist midterm victories across the country. Voters chose democratic socialist Melat Kiros, an attorney who lost her job for condemning her industry’s silence on Israel’s genocide in Gaza, ahead of longtime Rep.
Socialist Momentum Grows as Melat Kiros Wins in Denver
Diana DeGette 1 hour ago Democratic socialist Melat Kiros poised to become the first Gen Z woman in Congress NPR - Elena Moore • 1h Political newcomer and democratic socialist Melat Kiros is poised to become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress after defeating 15-term incumbent Democrat Diana DeGette in a primary race for Colorado's 1st Congressional District, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
Socialists Are Surging. In Colorado, a 29-Year Incumbent Is Sweating.
Rep. Diana DeGette has had a tough few weeks. The Colorado Democrat is facing her first competitive primary in her 30-year House career on Tuesday.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wades Into Tennessee Primary, Endorsing Justin J. Pearson
After rattling some observers by staying out of a slew of competitive congressional primaries in her home state this week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., endorsed a candidate in Tennessee on Thursday. Ocasio-Cortez is backing Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson in the 9th Congressional District, which will be a tough win for Democrats after Republicans scrambled to gerrymander it earlier this year thanks to the Supreme Court’s gutting of a key portion of the Voting Rights Act.
Socialists Are Setting the Agenda in New York City
Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier won their primaries Tuesday night, sending a sign of strength for an NYC left led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Three key primaries in New York City delivered whopping victories for an emboldened left led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, as democratic socialists sought to define the future of the Democratic Party.
Socialists Are Setting the Agenda in New York City
Two key primaries in New York City delivered whopping victories for an emboldened left led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, as democratic socialists sought to define the future of the Democratic Party. Mamdani-backed congressional candidates Claire Valdez and Brad Lander were declared the winners in their two districts less than half an hour after polls closed. While democratic socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier was still neck-and-neck with fifth-term incumbent Rep.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat Was Slow to Help Mahmoud Khalil. It Could Cost Him His Seat.
Eleven months after unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil from his home in Morningside Heights, he met with his congressional representative, Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., for the first time. The February meeting was scheduled as Espaillat, a fifth-term incumbent, was trying to improve his relationship with Khalil while a challenger against himgained steam.
Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out
Michigan 17 hours ago Victor Weekend instantly becomes more exciting at Michigan with addition of 4-star LB gbmwolverine.com - Ericka Brockish • 17h A surprise visitor will be making his way to Ann Arbor this weekend.
Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out
In the early hours of January 6, 2026, two 911 callers near Ypsilanti, Michigan, reported a white van driving erratically. Within an hour, police had found a white van, crashed into it twice on purpose, and fired 27 shots at the driver while the vehicle lay on its side, burning. At least eightcops watched as 34-year old Navy veteran John Andrew Jenuwine bled out and died inside.
Bernie Sanders Backs Justin J. Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight
9 hours ago WASHINGTON — By the time Justin Gaethje pummeled his bloodied foe to a pulp and celebrated a championship win with a backflip off the top of the wire-mesh cage, then shook hands with President Donald Trump — and even fist-bumped Melania — this much about his company's future was clear to the …
Bernie Sanders Backs Justin J. Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight
An outspoken progressive running for Congress in the Tennessee district at the center of Republicans’ efforts to sabotage voting rights and maintain control of the House earned the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday. Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson found himself the unexpected front-runner in the Democratic primary when two-decade incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen dropped out last month, after new gerrymandered maps throttled his chances of winning reelection.
Bernie Sanders Backs Justin Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight
Trump Administration 1 hour ago Pete Hegseth’s War on Mark Kelly Was a Political Gift NOTUS - By Joe Gould • 1h The senator said he’s not losing any sleep over being targeted by the Trump administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tried to brand Sen. Mark … Liberal View Now Democratic Progressives Are Winning Primaries Everywhere. Here’s Why.
Pennsylvania Primary Results: Philadelphia Voters Could Send the Next Squad Member to Congress
The Democratic Party’s left flank is hoping to add to its ranks in Congress in Philadelphia on Tuesday in what’s been viewed as a contest between the party’s moderate and progressive wings. Progressives coalesced around state Rep. Chris Rabb in the tight four-way race to replace retiring Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa. Limited polling has shown the race at times led by state Sen.
Xavier Becerra Pushed to Inflate a Black Man’s IQ to Execute Him as California AG
When leading California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra was state attorney general, his office pushed the state Supreme Court to artificially inflate a Black man’s IQ in order to execute him. Following the lead of his predecessor, former California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Becerra’s office was battling a defense that argued Robert Lewis, originally sentenced to death in 1991, was ineligible for execution because he was intellectually disabled.
FBI Tip Claimed Mahmoud Khalil Called for “Violence on Behalf of Hamas” Two Days Before ICE Arrest
A recently released FBI file shines new light on the days immediately leading up to the arrest of then-Columbia University student and Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil.
FBI Redirected a Quarter of Staff to Target Immigrants Under Trump’s Deportation Push
Over 9,000 FBI personnel were assigned to immigration after Trump returned to office — a massive diversion that experts warn could put national security at risk. The Federal Bureau of Investigation multiplied the number of employees assigned to immigration by a factor of 23 in the first nine months of the second Trump administration, The Intercept has found.
FBI Redirected Thousands of Workers to Target Immigrants Under Trump’s Deportation Push
The Federal Bureau of Investigation multiplied the number of employees assigned to immigration by a factor of 23 in the first nine months of the second Trump administration, The Intercept has found. There were 279 FBI personnel working on “immigration-related matters” before Trump took office in January 2025, according to bureau records The Intercept obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. By September, that number had ballooned to more than 6,500.
FBI Redirected Thousands of Workers to Target Immigrants Under Deportation Push
5 hours ago Here’s what chefs, cooks, and servers are really saying during service. The term “86” has been in the headlines because former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again this week over an Instagram post that spelled out “8647” in seashells. The Justice Department interpreted the photo as a threat …
Democratic Leaders Wanted to Control the Maine Senate Race. Their Pick Just Dropped Out.
The Democratic Party’s pick for Maine senator suspended her candidacy on Thursday. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who entered the race as the establishment pick and assumed favorite, announced her campaign did not have the financial resources to continue. Mills’s exit less than six weeks before the June primary clears the path for populist candidate Graham Platner, now the presumed nominee, to face off against incumbent Republican Sen.
Progressive Group Founded by Bernie Sanders Endorses Billionaire for California Governor
Our Revolution, the progressive group founded by Bernie Sanders as an outgrowth of his 2016 presidential campaign, is endorsing its first billionaire as the race for California governor tightens. Tom Steyer, a hedge-fund billionaire and philanthropist, won the group’s endorsement on Monday. Our Revolution said its decision to back Steyer was driven in part by the shakeup over Rep.
Bernie Sanders Backs Claire Valdez in NYC House Race Dividing Left and Progressives
Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed socialist New York State Assembly Member Claire Valdez on Thursday in a Democratic primary shaping up as a test of how factions of New York City’s progressive wing will work together under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The race to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York’s 7th Congressional District has put major progressive organizations and figures at odds.
Illinois Results: Biss Leads Abughazaleh in Chicago as AIPAC Beats AI PAC Across Town
Democratic voters chose the pro-Israel lobby candidate Donna Miller in Illinois’ 2nd District Tuesday night, marking an initial win for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as observers await results in the state’s other closely watched districts and Senate race.
AIPAC Is Staying Out of Illinois Senate Race — But Its Donors Back Juliana Stratton Original
The leading pro-Israel lobbying group has kept quiet on the race for an open Senate seat in Illinois while pouring its largest investments this cycle into the state’s high-profile House primaries, leaving observers to wonder whether it would really sit out the Senate contest. But for the top of the ticket in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, more than two dozen donors to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are quietly backing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, The Intercept has found.
Trump’s Iran War Is Dividing Republicans. Pro-Palestine Groups Want Democrats to Exploit the Rifts.
Midterm elections have kicked off against the backdrop of the U.S. and Israel’s intensifying war on Iran — and a progressive pro-Palestine group is spending $2 million on ads targeting Republicans over their support for Israel. The ad buy by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project is one of the largest investments by a pro-Palestine group so far in a cycle that’s seen progressives ramp up attacks on the pro-Israel lobby and its widespread support among members of Congress.
After Primary Win, Will James Talarico Fight for Justice in Texas?
Texas state Rep. James Talarico’s victory in a heated Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday offered a potential bright spot to the state’s progressive organizers — not necessarily because they prefer his policies, but because some see him as more malleable than his opponent, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The bitter race was framed as a referendum on the style of Democrat Texas voters want, with Talarico known for bridging divides and Crockett for inflaming them.
Philadelphia Could Elect Its First Muslim Congressman. He’s Not Sure Where He Stands on Israel.
Sharif Street is something of an anomaly. A Democratic state senator running for Congress, he’s angling to replace retiring Rep. Dwight Evans in a deep-blue Philadelphia seat. He’s Black, Muslim, and relatively moderate. He would not necessarily be a vocal critic of Israel in the House. Street is walking a fine line on Israel policy, articulating views that range from moderate to evasive.
Jasmine Crockett Swears Off Corporate Cash — But Transferred Thousands From Her House Campaign
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat running for Senate in Texas, wants people to know she isn’t taking corporate PAC money — in her Senate campaign. “In this Senate race I have not taken any corporate PAC money,” Crockett told the Texas journalist Tashara Parker last month. “People don’t know that because my report hasn’t come out yet.
AIPAC Is Flooding Illinois With Cash. Pro-Palestine Groups Are Backing Kat Abughazaleh
As the pro-Israel lobby seeks to shape a set of congressional races in Illinois, national progressive groups are pushing to elect a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights outside of Chicago. The national progressive outfit Justice Democrats and the Peace, Accountability, and Leadership PAC, a new group that launched Wednesday to support candidates advocating for Palestine in the upcoming midterms, are endorsing activist Kat Abughazaleh for Congress in Illinois’s 9th District.
AIPAC Just Helped Put a Bernie Sanders Alum in Congress
A progressive organizer beat the odds against millions in outside spending to win the special primary election for a congressional seat in New Jersey, offering a promising sign to left insurgents in the coming midterms and revealing a severe miscalculation on the part of the pro-Israel lobby. Former Rep. Tom Malinowski conceded the race in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District on Tuesday to Analilia Mejia, former political director for Sen.
NY Democratic House Candidate Worked for Palantir Partners Pushing AI Border Surveillance
A Democrat running to pick up one of the party’s top target House seats recently worked for two defense contractors looking to help the federal government use artificial intelligence for border surveillance and military projects. Cait Conley, a Special Operations combat veteran and former national security adviser under former President Joe Biden, is running in the crowded Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District.
AIPAC Donors Fail to Elect Last-Minute New Jersey House Pick Original
Update: February 6, 2026 As of Friday, the Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 11th district is too close to call between organizer Analilia Mejia and former Rep. Tom Malinowski. Former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way trails in a distant third. This story details pro-Israel contributions to Way’s campaign ahead of the election. Former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way is not the clear front-runner in New Jersey’s special congressional election on Thursday.
He’s Running to Fill Jasmine Crockett’s House Seat From Her Left. He’s Also Her Pastor.
National progressives see a chance in Texas to install a new member of the Squad in the place of departing Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett — by electing her pastor. With Crockett vacating her House seat to run in a competitive — and increasingly ugly — Senate primary, pastor Frederick Haynes III is running to fill her seat.
National Progressives Side With Mamdani in House Race Splitting NYC Left
Justice Democrats is wading into a high-profile congressional race in New York City, where a competition between the progressive Brooklyn borough president and a socialist first-term State Assembly member is testing competing visions for the future of the electoral left under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The group is endorsing Claire Valdez, a State Assembly member from Queens and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, to replace retiring Rep.
"إيباك" تعود لأساليبها القديمة بعد تحولها إلى لوبي منبوذ
ترجمة وتحرير: نون بوست تواجه المنظمة المؤيدة لإسرائيل أزمة متفاقمة، ففي الدورة الانتخابية الماضية، شنت لجنة الشؤون العامة الأمريكية الإسرائيلية (إيباك) حملة علنية واسعة لتكريس نفوذها السياسي، إذ ضخت أكثر من 100 مليون دولار في انتخابات عام 2024 بهدف إقصاء منتقدي إسرائيل من مقاعد الكونغرس.
AIPAC Is Retreating From Endorsements and Election Spending. It Won’t Give Up Its Influence.
The pro-Israel lobby is confronting a growing problem. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee waged a proud and public campaign to assert its dominance last cycle — sinking more than $100 million into the 2024 elections to oust critics of Israel from Congress.
Cop Group Alleges “Discrimination” by Prosecutor for Being Too Nice to Immigrants
A pro-police group is reportedly planning to ask the Department of Justice to investigate an elected prosecutor over allegations that he’s been lenient toward undocumented immigrants.
AIPAC Head Hosts Fundraiser for House Candidate Who Swears AIPAC Isn’t Backing Her
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is not publicly backing any candidate in the race to replace Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District. But in private, the group is fundraising for Democratic state Sen. Laura Fine, who has distanced herself from AIPAC and said she isn’t seeking its endorsement.
Meet the U.S. Donors Funding ELNET, the AIPAC of Europe
U.S. donors are funneling millions to a group its leaders describe as the AIPAC of Europe. The European Leadership Network, or ELNET, takes elected officials on networking trips to Israel, hosts events with members of European parliaments, and lobbies on foreign policy issues — much like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee operates in the U.S. Its co-founder, Raanan Eliaz, is a former AIPAC consultant and alumnus of the Israeli prime minister’s office.
AIPAC Spent Millions to Keep Her Out of Congress. Now, She Sees an Opening.
A progressive North Carolina official who lost her 2022 congressional race after the pro-Israel lobby spent almost $2.5 million against her sees a fresh opening this midterm cycle, as a public disturbed by the genocide in Gaza has turned pro-Israel spending into an increasing liability. Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam is preparing for a rematch against Rep. Valerie Foushee, D-N.C., for the 4th Congressional District seat she lost by nine points in 2022.
She Lost Her Job for Speaking Out About Gaza. Can It Power Her to Congress?
Attorney Melat Kiros lost her job in 2023 after she wrote a post on Medium criticizing law firms, including her own, for opposing pro-Palestine protests and “chilling future lawyers’ employment prospects for criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and its legitimacy.” Now, she’s running for Congress to replace a nearly three-decade incumbent in Denver and calling to end U.S. military aid to Israel.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Akela
Contact Akela, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack