Capitol agenda: Trump fund angst keeps GOP agenda in limbo
House and Senate GOP leaders are returning to a slew of familiar problems threatening to leave their midterm-year agenda stalled in perennial limbo.
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Schumer: Democrats to make all-out effort to kill Trump ‘slush fund’
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) notified Senate Democrats on Monday that they will make a coordinated effort to eliminate the Trump administration’s $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, which Schumer called a “slush fund.” Schumer said he will force
250 years later, America's ties to its first and oldest friend are getting even stronger
In 1777, Morocco became the first nation to recognize the United States. I was reminded of that history not in a textbook, but in the Pentagon, seated across from senior American defense officials, as our two countries recently concluded a new 10-year Defense Cooperation
Transcript: Trump Epstein Scandal Takes Damning Turn as MAGA Cracks Up
The following is a lightly edited transcript of the June 1 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here . Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic , produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent. On Friday, former Attorney
America's 250th birthday celebration takes a Trump-centric turn
In today’s issue: The country’s upcoming semiquincentennial celebration has fallen subject to partisan tensions as President Trump appears set to headline the start of the multi-week festival later this month. Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday that he wants to
We were going to bury 20 tons of nuclear fuel. Finally, we have a way to use it instead.
This choice is not even a close call.
Trump’s Iran peace deal pits Republican vs. Republican
President Trump’s serious consideration of a peace deal with Iran that would open the Strait of Hormuz but also ease sanctions on Iran, a longtime U.S. adversary, is pitting Republican against Republican in a messy debate that will take over the Senate this week. Defense hawks
Trump’s America vs. Springsteen’s: I Know Which Is the “Real America”
So now Donald Trump wants to cancel his “Freedom 250” concerts. Musical artists, who were obviously lied to by Trump adjutants when convinced to agree to perform, have spent the last few days not only backing out of the shows but going out of their way to emphasize that they
Trump wades into GOP fight over prediction market regulation
President Trump is throwing his weight behind an effort to block state restrictions on prediction markets, as federal and state regulators vie for authority over the platforms in a legal dispute that has divided the GOP. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has
This week on the Hill: Reconciliation bill runs up against Republican infighting
Monday was supposed to be the deadline for getting an immigration enforcement funding package on President Trump’s desk. Instead, the Senate will return Monday evening, preparing for a showdown over the bill after negotiations on the measure blew up more than a week ago
The Trumpian Machismo Infecting the Texas Senate Race
Within hours of winning the Republican nomination for the Texas Senate election, Attorney General Ken Paxton was attacking his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, as insufficiently masculine to represent their state in Washington. In his acceptance speech, Paxton rolled out
The DOJ’s No-Holds-Barred Mission to Quell ICE Protest
The government’s attempt to prosecute resistance to the president’s mass deportations mission has been destructive, absurd, often contradicted by the evidence offered, and conspicuously unbound by law. The White House has also lost an uncharacteristic number of these cases ,
The American Revolution Is Not Complete
It was telling that the last pop culture sensation to tackle the American Revolution—the 2015 musical Hamilton —felt that the best way to make the nation’s founding legible to modern audiences was to cast a Founding Father as a plucky immigrant. So distant was their world from
How Trump Is Wrecking the Agency That Protects Worker’s Labor Rights
A great riddle of the 2024 election is how Donald Trump managed to double ( to 14 points ) his advantage among working class voters, defined as those lacking a college degree, compared to 2016. This is a mystery because Trump spent much of his first term undermining labor
Hackers more focused on misleading voters than ballot tampering: Report
Hackers and foreign influence operators are increasingly turning to misinformation campaigns to confuse and mislead voters rather than tampering with voting machines and ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, a new cybersecurity report found. The report, published Monday by
Ebola triggers fears over public health ahead of World Cup travel surge
A recent outbreak of Ebola cases in Africa is sparking fresh concern from public health officials in the United States about the spread of communicable diseases ahead of next month’s World Cup. The tournament will be played in more than a half-dozen cities across North America
Dangerous chemical plant disasters spotlight Trump's deregulatory efforts
Critics are outraged that the Trump administration is moving to roll back chemical safety rules even as the U.S. faces deadly industrial chemical incidents. Last week, about 50,000 people were told to evacuate in Southern California because an overheating chemical tank was at
Becerra looks likely to pull off California comeback
Former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) looks poised to finish as one of the front-runners Tuesday in the race to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a remarkable arc for the candidate who polled in just single digits a few months ago.
Trump Epstein Leaks Worsen as MAGA Cracks Up: “He Lame-Ducked Himself”
Former attorney general Pam Bondi testified behind closed doors Friday about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. She effectively let it be known that Todd Blanche, now acting AG, has been responsible for this debacle, creating a new target for Democrats to pursue that will be fraught
Hard-liners balk at GOP’s failure to enshrine anti-transgender laws
Some Republicans worry the party has squandered its chance to enact legislation targeting trans issues.
Pence questions Trump’s conservative credentials and ‘hostility to constitutional order’
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday shared grievances with President Trump for abandoning his conservative base for populist ideals. In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, Pence notes a shift in Trump’s tone and rhetoric that now focuses on widespread reform in the form
Paxton set to meet with Thune after Cornyn loss
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Sunday said he will meet with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R) after winning the GOP runoff to replace incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Since beating Cornyn, a four-term incumbent, Paxton says he’s been in contact with Thune, Senate
Macron says opportunity for US, Iran deal ‘must be seized now’
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday urged leaders in the Middle East to help the U.S. and Iran seize the opportunity for a peace deal after months of war resulting in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Macron said he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
Family visitation resumes at Delaney Hall after protests
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) on Sunday said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will resume family visits at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark following a string of protests over immigrants’ treatment at the facility. “Starting today, limited visitation
Trump responds to NYT article, says it's 'very good' administration is losing legal talent
President Trump on Sunday said it is "very good" that thousands of lawyers have chosen to no longer work for the administration, referring to The New York Times's reporting on the exodus. The Times story reported that more than 10,000 lawyers working for the federal government
Pence: There’s ‘clearly' been an effort to ‘rewrite’ Jan. 6 history
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday said there has “clearly” been an effort to “rewrite” the history of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. “Look, I'm very confident that of the judgment of history in the years ahead about our role, about all the Republicans and Democrats
Rare, endangered bee gets habitat protection across 6 states: Here's where
The bee was once found in roughly half of the U.S. Now, rare sightings have been limited to about a dozen states.
Republicans battle déjà vu as they return to tackle reconciliation bill, FISA extension
Republicans on Capitol Hill are battling a bad case of déjà vu, as intraparty disputes over an immigration enforcement funding package and an extension of the government’s warrantless spying powers have left lawmakers no closer to a resolution on the two matters than they were
Booker on Platner: 'That guy has questions to answer'
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Sunday said Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner "has questions to answer" following reports that Platner allegedly shared sexually explicit messages with multiple other women. ABC's Jonathan Karl asked Booker on "This Week" about whether this and
GOP strategist: Trump made a ‘$100M mistake’ backing Paxton
GOP strategist Brad Todd on Sunday said President Trump made a “100-million-dollar mistake” by backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to replace incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “I think the president made a 100-million-dollar mistake in picking Ken Paxton and
Senate Democrat: Iran is 'stronger' than before war
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) claimed Sunday that Iran is “stronger” than it was before the beginning of the U.S. war with the Middle Eastern country three months ago. “Frankly, Iran is stronger than they were 90 days ago, before this war, because they've used their cheap and
'Texas is in play' for Democrats after Paxton win: Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Democrats have a chance at locking down a Senate seat in Texas after state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) recent victory in a runoff. “Paxton will now face off against State [Rep.] James Talarico. Democrats have not won a Texas Senate
RNC moves forward with midterm convention, chair says
On Sunday, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters said the party would hold a midterm convention “before the general election” as outlined by President Trump last September. “There's a very short window of doing it after the last primary ballots have been cast
Hassett predicts oil will flow through Strait of Hormuz in 'a month or two'
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Sunday predicted that oil shipments will pass through the Strait of Hormuz in "a month or two," while it has been closed off amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran. Hassett told ABC's Jonathan Karl on "This Week" that there is
Trump has turned Republicans into the anti-Black party
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, has embraced white Christian nationalists and is working to reduce the number of Black House members through redistricting, while also attacking African Americans with racist rhetoric and policies.
Zelensky says he hopes Witkoff, Kushner visit Kyiv for talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said he hopes White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will come to Kyiv, Ukraine, for talks in the coming weeks. CBS News's "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan asked Zelensky
The peril of transactional deterrence: How the US unwittingly shifted Taiwan's timeline
Washington's shift to a hyper-transactional foreign policy framework has weakened its strategic architecture, making Taiwan a flexible variable in the U.S.-China rivalry and threatening to unravel decades of American deterrence in Asia.
Jill Biden says Joe 'was slowing down' during presidency
Former first lady Jill Biden said in her first interview since leaving the White House that former President Biden "was slowing down" before he dropped his 2024 presidential bid. Jill Biden told "CBS News Sunday" correspondent Rita Braver in an interview released Sunday that
Pence calls Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund 'a bad idea'
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday slammed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent “anti-weaponization” fund and pushed to “get rid of" it. “Well, look, I think that the weaponization fund is a — it's a bad idea from the start. And I would encourage the administration
Where things stand between Trump and Big Tech executives
For more than a year, leaders from the country’s largest technology firms have worked to win President Trump’s favor as he returned to the White House. From meetings at Mar-a-Lago to hefty inauguration donations, their efforts were on full display from the first day of
After a mosque shooting, American Muslims deserve comfort, not hate
Muslim Americans are waiting for an answer.
Pence following Paxton win: GOP 'lost our way,' but Democrats 'have lost their minds'
Former Vice President Pence said Sunday that his party has “lost our way,” but also went after Democrats by saying they “have lost their minds.” During an interview on “Meet the Press,” NBC News’s Kristen Welker pressed Pence on who he would support in the upcoming U.S. Senate
Trump says ‘cancel’ America 250 concert
President Trump on Saturday called for the cancellation of the concert celebrating America's 250th birthday after multiple artists withdrew from performing at the upcoming Great American State Fair on the National Mall. Trump wrote on Truth Social that there should be "a giant
'Climate hushing' is what's keeping the Democrats from winning
However you choose to look at it, it’s clear we’ve crossed the clean energy Rubicon.
Kim on clashes outside New Jersey ICE facility: 'One of the most difficult weeks of my entire life'
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Sunday called the past week of clashes between law enforcement officers and demonstrators protesting conditions inside a federal immigration detention center "one of the most difficult" of his life. Kim met with protesters outside Delaney Hall in
The retirement age changed this year: Here's what to know
If you're of a certain age, you may have entered 2026 thinking you were ready to retire. Unfortunately, if you aren't of an even more specific age, retiring this year could have a big impact on your Social Security benefits.
Elon Musk's plans for SpaceX depend on Starship and AI
Along with Starlink and launch services, the company is relying on AI for near to mid-term growth.
Cindy McCain to Trump administration: 'We need help' with food aid
World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain pressed the Trump administration for more food aid, saying her organization needs “help.” “When you look at the places you operate, do you think there has been an impact from the dismantling of [the U.S. Agency for
We're having the worst wheat crop in decades. You'll notice the ripple effects soon at the grocery store
It's a perfect storm of terrible conditions for wheat farmers this year. We may all pay the price.
Newark mayor orders curfew around Delaney Hall as protesters, police clash
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) on Sunday ordered a curfew around an immigration detention center in the city where protesters and law enforcement officers have clashed for days. “To ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, a mandatory curfew for a half-mile area