Reading the Pictures

Reading the Pictures

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The 13 Most Telling Photographs of the Harris-Trump Presidential Debate
Harris outmaneuvered Trump using psychological tactics to expose his weaknesses. Powerful images capture her commanding presence and his discomfort…
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Michael Shaw
70
Shutter Shock: The Photos that Expose Trump’s Mind in Disarray
The media, barring some exceptions, sanitizes Trump's incoherence. Quotes help, but nothing exposes his confusion and chaos like visible reactions.
 • 
Michael Shaw
 and 
Cara Finnegan
4
3:45
Scenes from the Coronation of King Donald II: A Visual Guide to American Autocracy
From executive order theater to Elon’s salute, telling moments of Trump’s second inauguration (and yes, Justice Jackson’s eloquent necklace).
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Michael Shaw
2
Springfield's Haitian Immigrants in the Light
Amid a storm of misrepresentation, authentic portraits challenge distortions and reveal a community's true image.
 • 
Michael Shaw
5
A Portrait that Dares to Expose Musk’s Insanity
Mark Mahaney’s portrait captures the power and madness of Elon Musk, whose elevation from tech titan to democracy’s most dangerous private citizen…
 • 
Michael Shaw
 and 
Cara Finnegan
5
4:17
Harris vs. Trump: On Gender, Power, and the Future of America
Watch now | Video: Harris’s tightrope.
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Michael Shaw
2
4:13
Trump’s Mugshot as White House Power Play
Watch now | Trump’s gilded mugshot guards the Oval Office—a warning to all who pass. As Volodymyr Zelensky learned, this intimidating checkpoint signals…
 • 
Michael Shaw
 and 
Cara Finnegan
1
3:24
The State of Disunion
I’m breaking down key images from Trump’s 2025 State of the Union—moments capturing a chamber in splinters, where resistance took many forms and silence…
 • 
Michael Shaw
3
What's in a "Top 100 Photos of the Year" List?
TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2024 captures the year’s defining crises, from war and climate disasters to political polarization. This analysis explores what…
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Michael Shaw
2
The Visual Politics of the LA Fires
From a man rescuing Old Glory to a haunting ‘stairway to nowhere,’ key photos from LA’s devastating fires expose America’s most profound social…
 • 
Michael Shaw
2
The Great Shattering: Scenes from America’s Political and Psychic Electoral Rupture
November 5th, 2024, sent shockwaves across the nation. From Howard University to Palm Beach, election night photos captured a seismic shift that will…
 • 
Michael Shaw
2
Crucial Elements of the Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests Overlooked by the Mainstream
Keenly focused on education, negotiation, militarism, and human rights, the encampments have stood for much more than they have been credited for.
 • 
Michael Shaw
5
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