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Ben Kawaller

Ben Kawaller's videos and humor writing have appeared in The Free Press, LA Magazine, Racket News, The American Bystander, The Advocate, and Salon, among others. He lives in New York.

ben@thefp.com
benkawaller
WATCH: ‘People Are Panicking. They’re Not Coming Out of Their Homes.’
Restaurants, stores, and farms are empty as deportation fears mount across America. We went to New York and California to see how daily life has…
Ben Kawaller, Tanya Lukyanova, and Austyn Jeffs
4M
Have San Francisco’s ‘Harm Reduction’ Tactics Worked?
Ben Kawaller
5M
WATCH: Is San Francisco Ready to Govern Again?
‘If progressives want to be trusted, we have to take care of the basics.’
Ben Kawaller
4M
Should Fifth Graders Learn What It Means to Be Transgender?
Ben Kawaller meets an education activist who wants kids to be taught that sex is assigned and gender is a social construct.
Ben Kawaller
2M
Ben Kawaller Asks New Yorkers: Is Luigi Mangione a Hero or a Villain?
He hits the streets to find out whose side they’re really on.
Ben Kawaller
2M
WATCH: Steve Bannon Talks Luigi Mangione, Racial Representation, and America’s Seething Anger
Trump’s former barn burner gives a one-on-one interview to The Free Press’s Ben Kawaller.
Ben Kawaller
15M
Swing State Debates Series Finale: Is the American Dream Still Alive?
In my final episode, Ohio voters battle over which party enables success in the richest country on Earth.
Ben Kawaller
Swing State Debates Episode Five: The Youth Vote in Michigan
While talking to Generation Z voters, I discovered a troubling consequence of our political divide: Liberal students are often barely familiar with the…
Ben Kawaller
Swing State Debates Episode Four: The Jewish Vote in Pennsylvania
I went to Pittsburgh to find out whether the rise in antisemitism post–October 7 will sway voters to back Kamala Harris—or Donald Trump.
Ben Kawaller
Swing State Debates Episode Three: Talking Race and Racism in. . . Wisconsin
I went to one of the country’s most segregated cities to find out what should be done to fix racial disparities in America.
Ben Kawaller
Swing State Debates Episode Two: Talking Immigration in Arizona
I went to Phoenix for a conversation about that most contentious election issue: the border.
Ben Kawaller
WATCH a New Free Press Series: Swing State Debates
Can people from politically opposing tribes ease their tensions just by talking to each other? Ben Kawaller finds out.
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: Matt Walsh Talks DEI, Division, and Robin DiAngelo
A new documentary ‘Am I Racist?’ goes deep into the anti-racism industry. Ben Kawaller sits down with its maker.
Ben Kawaller
What If the Most Notorious Murder of a Gay Man Wasn’t a Hate Crime?
A generation ago, Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in what appeared to be a homophobic attack. This month, Ben Kawaller traveled to the scene of…
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: Kicked Out of a Climate Rally
Face to face with the apocalyptic environmentalists of Extinction Rebellion, Ben Kawaller asks: “Is there a fear that you might look a bit silly?”
Ben Kawaller
‘I’ve Woken Up’
Free Press correspondent Ben Kawaller, a centrist Democrat, recently spoke to a gay GOP group. Here’s what he said.
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: Ben Kawaller Tries to Ruin the Kentucky Derby
Our correspondent tried to foment class war at the country’s most prestigious horse race. But it’s hard to bring a rich man down.
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: Is America Racist? Reggae Fans Aren’t So Sure
Ben Kawaller reports from the Dallas Reggae Festival, where one black Southern woman said the unthinkable: ‘I’ve never really experienced racism!’
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: An Atheist Finds Faith Among the Mormons
‘These guys produced the last normal Republican presidential nominee. Who am I to judge?’
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: The California Progressives Trying to Cancel Affordable Housing
Ben Kawaller on how his ‘progressive’ neighbors don’t want low-income residents to move to West Hollywood.
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: ‘This Is My First Rodeo’ | Ben Meets America
In Arlington, Texas, our correspondent mingled with cowboys and witnessed his first Red State land acknowledgment.
Ben Kawaller
WATCH: RFK Jr.’s Supporters Made Me Doubt the Truth
The latest installment of Ben Meets America is out now.
Ben Kawaller
Ben Meets the Lady Lowriders of California
In his latest dispatch from America, Free Press correspondent Ben Kawaller asks members of an all-female car club: What do you think of the patriarchy?
Ben Kawaller
It’s Harder to Hate the Other Side When You Come Face to Face
Our correspondent sets out across the country to find out why we’re so divided. What he discovers might surprise you. Introducing: Ben Meets America!
Ben Kawaller
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