Ben Kawaller

Los Angeles, New York

Writer and Producer at The Free Press

Kochleffel. @thefp, @lamag & elsewhere. It means meddlesome troublemaker.

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Articles

I Tried to Cover a May Day Protest. Antifascists Had a Problem With That.

1 month ago | racket.news | Ben Kawaller

Last week, I was hounded out of a protest by a pair of authoritarians opposing fascism. Billed as a “May Day” rally on behalf of workers, the event, which began in Foley Square in downtown Manhattan, was one of dozens of such protests promoted by 50501. This one was organized by a coalition of unions and other progressive groups, including the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Ben’s Substack

1 month ago | benkawaller.substack.com | Ben Kawaller

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Being Annoying Is Not the Same As Being Wrong, and Mass Protest Means Normies Marching alongside Crazies

1 month ago | benkawaller.substack.com | Ben Kawaller

I’ve seen scant conservative commentary on those “Hands Off!” demonstrations earlier this month, for which hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest the Trump administration. So let’s give credit where it's due to Greg Gutfeld, who at least attempted an analysis of the movement on his Fox News comedy talk show, though the segment is mainly edifying for what it reveals about how the right might attempt to delegitimize mass protests against Trump.
My Thoughts on Trump's War on Antisemitism Really Pissed People Off

2 months ago | benkawaller.substack.com | Ben Kawaller

Last week I had a piece published in Racket News that managed to alienate nearly everyone on all sides of the conversation around Trump, Israel, Columbia, and antisemitism. My central argument was that in his ostensible attempt to combat hatred of Jews, Trump has infringed on the First Amendment rights of anti-Israel campus activists (here’s another example), and that an alliance with a demagogue like Donald Trump is the last thing we Jews need.
Donald Trump’s War on Anti-Semitism is the Last Thing We Jews Need

2 months ago | open.substack.com | Ben Kawaller

Ben Kawaller was the host of the sociopolitical interview series Ben Meets America and the 2024 election series Swing State Debates for The Free Press. His writing and video reporting have also appeared in Los Angeles Magazine. You can learn more about his work here. Have you heard the news?
‘People Are Panicking. They’re Not Coming Out of Their Homes.’

Feb 3, 2025 | thefp.com | Ben Kawaller

From coast to coast, in cities and on farms, people are feeling the impact of President Trump’s mass deportations. In New York last week, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on raids targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
Have San Francisco’s ‘Harm Reduction’ Tactics Worked?

Jan 28, 2025 | thefp.com | Ben Kawaller

Have San Francisco’s ‘Harm Reduction’ Tactics Worked? We asked police, addicts, and residents to weigh in—while people appeared to overdose in front of our eyes. With politicians considering mass arrests, the city may be at a turning point. Ben Kawaller reports. Maintaining The Free Press is Expensive!To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Is San Francisco Ready to Govern Again?

Jan 22, 2025 | thefp.com | Ben Kawaller

A lot can change in four years. Take, for example, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which operates as a city council. Back in 2021, “equity” was the board’s guiding principle. At its inaugural meeting in January of that year, the word was uttered nearly two dozen times. “Equity and racial justice are the issues that matter,” Catherine Stefani, a f…
Should Fifth Graders Learn What It Means to Be Transgender?

Dec 30, 2024 | thefp.com | Ben Kawaller

When most Americans hear “sex ed,” the first thing that likely springs to mind is learning about the human reproductive system and how to avoid making use of it. That’s exactly the kind of cis-heteronormative belief—the invidious notion that, normally, people are neither transgender nor gay—the National Sex Education Standards (NSES) and its advocates are seeking to upend. Mimi Shelton is one such advocate.
Is Luigi Mangione a Hero or a Villain?

Dec 18, 2024 | thefp.com | Ben Kawaller

When UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down on a New York City sidewalk at dawn on December 4, certain pockets of the internet rejoiced. TikToks and tweets celebrated the alleged murderer, Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, for what some called an act of resistance against a perversely incentivized healthcare industry. Comments ranged from …