Happy New Year dear readers!

As you probably know, writers often close out the year by sharing a list of their best stories from the prior twelve months. I typically avoid doing that since it’s pretty annoying, however, as the author of an independent publication that is supported by readers I feel differently. 

The Uprising was home to a lot of important work this past year. I don’t see these as simply my stories. They’re yours too and I wouldn’t have been able to do any of them without your support. 

This newsletter launched in April, so it hasn’t been up and running for a full year yet. However, in only eight months, it has been home to a lot of significant work that I am extremely proud of. 

On just the second day of publication, I reported on documents that revealed the Saudi government hired lobbyists who spied on protests against the U.S. alliance with the Kingdom. That was the first of several document-based scoops including an analysis of police records that showed how some Republicans in Congress were not being honest about the January 6 attack and leaked files from the planning of the main pro-Trump rally that took place in D.C. that day. 

In May, I traveled to North Carolina to report on the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. including an interview with attorney Ben Crump about his work representing victims of police violence and pushing for reform in Washington. Crump is one of several key figures who granted interviews to The Uprising including authors, members of Congress, and candidates. 

Former President Trump also sent a statement to this newsletter. I analyzed it to show “how instrumental the right wing media ecosystem, dark money, and Republican officials are to fueling and spreading the former president’s so-called Big Lie about the 2020 presidential vote.” And earlier this month, I broke some more news on Trump’s efforts to challenge the election in Georgia. 

Over the summer, as New York City chose its next mayor, The Uprising focused on the campaign with a couple big scoops and exclusives on some of the drama behind the scenes. Expect more of the same during the governor’s race next year! 

Lastly, I am most proud of the reporting I have been able to do on the January 6 attack. In addition to the aforementioned stories, Uprising readers have read exclusives about Trump’s meeting with a man who organized “patriot caravans” to DC that day, the financing of protests in support of the rioters who broke into the Capitol, and key 1/6 rally organizers’ efforts to defend themselves amid the ongoing House select committee investigation. 

Along with the January 6 stories published here on The Uprising, there are also a series of major exclusives about the attack that I wrote for Rolling Stone. While I needed some institutional support for those pieces, I would not have been able to do that work without this newsletter. 

Your support has given me the ability to spend serious time pursuing major, important stories on this newsletter and beyond. I am deeply grateful to all of my readers and look forward to bringing you more news in the year ahead.

I hope you all enjoy these last hours of 2021. And remember, have one glass of water for each celebratory beverage.