Rachel Wells

“Wanna talk about candidates who put their💰where their mouth is? @aftynbehn.bsky.social does not fuck around.” #TN7

@rachelwells1.bsky.social on Behn being dragged out of the state leg over ex-speaker Casada’s support for Rep. Byrd, who apologized to 1 of 3 women who said he sexually abused them.

Over 1k people on the GOTV Zoom rally for @aftynbehn.bsky.social with VP Al Gore!!!! so inspiring!

I have chills. Closing out her tele-rally with AOC, Aftyn Behn ends with this: "We are one day away from making history together, one day away from shocking the country, one day away from proving that organizing beats dark money and billionaires." @aftynbehn.bsky.social #Aftyn4Congress

"Canvassing keeps me humble, and canvassing keeps me joyful." THIS IS WHAT WE DESERVE IN A REP. @aftynbehn.bsky.social #aftyn4congress #tnpol

Referencing Trump and his WH: "I don't like people who don't fulfill commitments." @aftynbehn.bsky.social #aftyn4congress

I'm just going to say that the tone of the Aftyn Behn GOTV tele-rally is radically (pardon the pun) different from the Matt Van Epps one this morning.

"When we cast that ballot, we are not just voting for someone; we are exerting our own presence; we are saying 'I take up space in this democracy, and I will have a voice in where we go in this democracy." @aoc.bsky.social re CD7 race in TN @aftynbehn.bsky.social #aftyn4congress #tnpol LFG TN

"It takes a special kind of person and a special kind of guts to stand up and say I'm going to run in a +22 R district." @aoc.bsky.social on @aftynbehn.bsky.social #aftyn4congress #tnpol

Al Gore is sharing his support for Aftyn Behn: "I've never seen the political tides shift as fast as they have in this election.' #aftyn4congress @aftynbehn.bsky.social #cd7 #tnpol

Seeing people from all over the country send their support to TN during this @aftynbehn.bsky.social and @aoc.bsky.social GOTV Rally is making my heart just swell the hell up.

Anti abortion extremists have turned beloved Hispanic church Iglesia Bella Vista in Memphis into an anti-abortion activist training camp.

Antiabortion Militants Open Training Facility in Memphis, Aim to Restart Large-Scale Clinic Blockades As FACE enforcement collapses, anti abortion groups are gearing up to launch a new wave of coordinated clinic blockades.

A mass anti-abortion activist "training camp" set up a campus in a church in Memphis, Tennessee. They kick off their "program" this week. It's terrifying. Stay tuned for more. @msmagazine.com msmagazine.com/2025/11/26/a...

If you need me, I’ll be holding down phone banking for Aftyn at a local car dealership for the next few hours. And yes, I will also be canvassing whoever else is stuck there with me. #aftyn4congress @aftynbehn.bsky.social

Met a Vietnam vet while canvassing for Aftyn Behn and he looked at us with tears in his eyes and said you all are the warriors now. (VOTE on Tue, Dec 2 Nashville.)

👀 POLITICO: “House Democrats are jumping into an upcoming special election in Tennessee, dumping $1 million on an increasingly nationalized battle for a deep-red congressional seat asTrump gets involved in the race...” www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Tennessee does not fuck around. Especially when it comes to fighting for the people. I hope the country is paying attention because Aftyn Behn is going to make history in congressional district 7.

Reminder to those who get it: you are not obligated to stay up to date with the Epstein news. If you notice your body getting triggered, step back and have a cup of tea. Your healing/safety in this moment is more important.

A TN Repro News Origin Story Looking back before the decade's over

Fox News lost its mind about women overwhelmingly voting for @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social, asking “what’s wrong with women?” and promoting early marriage to combat the “issue.”

This excellent, heartbreaking piece by @rachelwells1.bsky.social gives one reason why.

open.substack.com/pub/wellsrac...

I appreciate you!

Former MTSU Assistant Dean Sues After Firing Over Charlie Kirk Comments A former assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University is suing the school's leaders after she was fired in September following social media remarks regarding the death of conservative activist ...

A former assistant dean at MTSU is suing the school's leaders after she was fired over social media remarks regarding the death of Charlie Kirk.

A TN Repro News Origin Story Looking back before the decade's over

In honor of my 40th birthday this week, I wrote an essay on how TN Repro News came to be. Read it below.

Why Red States Like Tennessee Can’t Stop Abortion Telemedicine A new group is building legal armor for blue state providers

No matter how much they try, they can't stop abortion pills.

Huge congrats to a plucky startup that employs some of the best journalists in this town.

The Associated Press Does Free PR for Crisis Pregnancy Centers A recent story is a glaring example of how traditional journalistic “objectivity" is far from unbiased, and can even facilitate the spread of disinformation.

I knew AP coverage of CPCs was terrible, but to use someone from Charlotte Lozier as their only source? YIKES. This is a must, must, must read from @autonomynews.co by @susanrinkunas.com & @garnethenderson.com | We need expert and independent repro reporters more than ever. Support them!

The Meaning of Ms. Rachel She redefined children’s media—and built her empire—by centering empathy. Now she’s channeling that same ethos into activism.

Ms Rachel: PBS meant so much to me as a kid. I watched a lot of TV. I mean, having a single mom who’s working a lot, we turned on the TV a lot, and I learned a ton from PBS and I turned out okay.

A sweeping study found thousands of stillbirths occur without clear warning signs A study led by researchers at Harvard and Mass General Brigham shows stark socioeconomic divides and thousands of unexplained losses, even in seemingly healthy pregnancies.

TRULY: “It’s astonishing that in our day and age, so many stillbirths happen with no identified risk factors,” Cohen said. “We have watches that track our sleep and stress, but we can’t always tell when a pregnancy is in trouble.”

The Anti-Abortion Circus Hits Tennessee Demystifying Students for Life’s campus roadshow of shock and spin

This week, Students for Life, an extreme anti-abortion group, is bringing its ‘Make Gen-Z Anti-Abortion’ tour to two Tennessee college campuses: tomorrow, Tuesday, October 28th at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Thursday, November 30th at Vanderbilt University.

Signaling skepticism that exceptions to TN abortion ban are adequate, judges rule against state • Tennessee Lookout A three-judge panel ruled against Tennessee's effort to end a lawsuit challenging the inadequacy of exceptions to the state's abortion ban.

This is a really promising update in CRR's case against TN for medically restrictive "exceptions" in TN's total abortion law. Happy to see the Chancery Court add some sense to the case. @tennesseelookout.com

When I say I'm fighting for reproductive rights, I mean I'm fighting for everyone's reproductive rights: democrats, republicans, independents, and anyone in between.

Watch my full conversation with award-winning investigative journalist Lisa Rab over on TNReproNews.com

Later today, I’ll be going LIVE on Substack with award-winning investigative journalist Lisa Rab to talk all things, repro rights, maternal health, and the state of independent reporting.

Join us today at 6pm CT / 7pm ET here: open.substack.com/pub/wellsrac...