Natalie Harp and Steven Cheung Are Trump’s Personal Ego-Strokers
Donald Trump likes having damaged people around him to reinforce the lies he tells about himself.
Recent Stories
US, Canada Trade Accusations Over Collapse of Tariff Talks
US and Canadian officials are blaming each other for their failure to reach a deal that would have staved off the implementation of billions of dollars in new tariffs that will make a variety of goods more expensive for consumers in both countries.
Saturday Hashtag: #PrivateProsperityZones
Welcome to Saturday Hashtag, a weekly place for broader context.
Dems Score Major Win as Supreme Court Allows Ballroom Construction to Proceed
It might sound counterintuitive to claim that Chief Justice John Roberts’s stay of an order that would have halted construction of Donald Trump’s ballroom is a victory for Democrats, but it is. We’ll explain why.
Why I Think Most Media Stink
From watchdog to lapdog, the media traded their bite for a leash.
The Rule of Law Dies When People Get Too Comfortable
He spent 18 years watching Russia turn law into a weapon. Americans see the same signs but miss where it leads — rule of law dies when people get too comfortable.
Congrats, America, the US Debt Hit $40,000,000,000,000
It’s been a century since an administration decreased the national debt.
In Arizona, the Thermostat Is Driving Voters to the Polls
Record heat, two rate hikes, and a data center boom have turned utility bills — not climate — into the state’s most volatile issue.
Slipping Through the Cracks: How Medicine Has Gotten Better… and Worse
There may be no worse place to be than in a body that’s failing when the doctors can’t tell you what’s wrong.
Topsy-Turvy Primary Season Continues With DSA Surprise in Florida
Tuesday’s primaries featured surprises as well as good and bad news for both Democrats and Republicans.
Extreme Climate Events Have Americans Increasingly Worried
Americans are experiencing the impact of climate change, and it leaves many of them feeling powerless to shape their own paths in life.
The Media Is Licking Its Wounds, Many of Which Are Self-Inflicted
A lot has changed since the golden age of journalism.
For Democratic Voters, It’s Out With the Old and in With the New
In primaries across the country, Democratic voters have demonstrated their preference for younger candidates, even over experienced incumbents.
Floods Can Leave Communities Facing Higher Overdose Deaths for Years
Disrupted treatment, unstable housing, and lasting trauma can compound a disaster’s toll — a pattern now emerging in communities recovering from Hurricane Helene.
Trump Keeps Reminding Americans That He Was Found Liable for Sexual Abuse
Donald Trump seems determined to keep Americans talking about a jury finding that he sexually abused a New York writer. We’re happy to indulge him.
Pete Hegseth’s Obsession With Manhood Is Nuts
The secretary of war puts the T in toxic masculinity.
Trump Kneecaps Another US Ally With Gift to North Korea
Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he has instructed the Department of Defense to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea.
Blanche Destroys Illusion of an Independent DOJ in Bonkers Interview
Todd Blanche made it abundantly clear on Sunday that he will not be an independent attorney general.
Rogers Couldn’t Defeat a Democrat in Michigan, But He Hopes to Beat a Muslim
Where Republicans can’t win on the issues, they immediately resort to ad hominem attacks, strawmen, and red herrings.
Zohran Mamdani Wants Jeff Bezos to Employ His Gig Workers
The people you see wearing Amazon vests and delivering packages with Amazon logos, or driving Amazon trucks, are not employed by Amazon.
Scare Force One
As long as he feels safe, it doesn’t matter to Donald Trump who else is put at risk.
Trump Rails Against ‘Treasonists’ Who Oppose His Ballroom
Donald Trump seems to believe that suing to halt construction of his ballroom amounts to treason.
Leavitt Leaves Her Toddler in the Lurch
She should be well prepared for anything the little ones can throw at her.
Blanche Kills Irony in Front of Cops and Police Academy Cadets
Todd Blanche, who conspired with Donald Trump to richly reward the January 6 insurrectionists found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers, somehow managed to keep a straight face on Friday when he said that he would prosecute anybody who “touches a federal law enforcement officer in any way inappropriate.”
A Timeline of Western Decline
Our current chaos and dislocation didn’t start in 2016. We’ve been the frog on a slow boil since 1945.
Guns and Bucks: Why Republicans Always Cave to Trump
“Nice post-political semi-retirement you’ve got there… You wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”
‘Broadview Six’ Defendant Opens Up About the Toll of Being Targeted by DOJ
The experience of being charged with a felony by the Trump Administration for protesting ICE left Michael Rabbitt, a member of the “Broadview Six,” shaken but not ready to give up.
Juliana Leon Died in a Climate-Linked Heat Wave. Her Daughter Is Suing Big Oil.
This case is reportedly the first to hold Big Oil accountable for an individual’s death in a climate-related disaster.
Fox News Sinks GOP’s Chances of Winning Governor’s Race in Wisconsin
The network’s obsession with comments that Democratic socialist Francesca Hong once made about Thanksgiving will make it much more difficult for the GOP to win Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race in the fall.
Judge Deals Another Setback to Trump’s Election-Rigging Efforts
A federal judge on Tuesday expanded an injunction that prevents the Trump administration from moving ahead with a rule that would allow the USPS to decide which Americans get to vote by mail.
Susan Collins: A Solid Trump Vote Unless It Doesn’t Matter
With her meaningless vote against Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general, Susan Collins (R-ME) proved once again that she only opposes Donald Trump when it doesn’t make a difference whatsoever.
Beware of the DOGE Math When Assessing the Administration’s Anti-Fraud Claims
Part of the GOP’s pitch to voters ahead of the midterms is that Republicans are the party that fights fraud and abuse. But it’s not only Donald Trump’s behavior that contradicts that claim.
Is the Recycling Symbol Free Speech? A Judge Just Ruled It Could Be.
The ruling pauses California’s effort to limit the recycling symbol to products that are actually recycled, setting up a new First Amendment fight over environmental marketing.
The Lessons for America in India’s Cockroach Protests
While Democrats agonize over divisions between centrists and progressives, the leaders of India’s Cockroach Janta Party find humor may be the best approach.
Trump Hopes Americans Are as Bad at Math as He Is
Sometimes it’s tough to tell whether Donald Trump is just a liar or also really bad at math.
Israel Predictably Rejects Trump’s ‘HISTORIC’ Hamas Disarmament Deal
What is most surprising about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a disarmament deal in Gaza that was supposed to lead to Palestinian self-rule is that anybody believed Donald Trump that this agreement existed in the first place.
Two Criminal Referrals Test the Weaponization of the DOJ
What happens to the two criminal referrals that lawmakers recently sent to the DOJ will show whether justice is truly blind under Todd Blanche’s reign as attorney general or only blind to the misdeeds of the Trump administration.
Donald Trump Looks at the Miller and Mills Scandals and Feels Their Pain
House Republicans Max Miller and Cory Mills face a variety of abuse charges from their partners and wives. Trump stands in solidarity with his fellow travelers.
Trump’s War Profiteering Boast Goes Unnoticed in the US Media, but Not in Iran
Donald Trump bragged about taking Venezuela’s oil, which is a violation of international law. While the US media ignored the remark, the Iranian government did not.
The Electability Fallacy
Establishment Democrats seem much more concerned about winning elections than turning those victories into policies that improve the lives of regular Americans.
Trump’s Defense Authorization Act Could Merge US and Israeli Weapons Development
Tucked inside the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act sits a provision that could fundamentally redefine the military relationship between the United States and Israel — and further poison the Middle East.
Evil in Middle-Earth and Middle America
Whom do you think Donald Trump resembles more, Saruman or Sauron? Hint: It’s a trick question.
How Close Is the US to a National Popular Vote?
Americans want their presidents to be elected by all of them and not just voters in a few swing states. Activists are feeling optimistic about making that happen.
1,500 Companies, $4 Trillion, and No One’s Allowed to Look Under the Hood
The biggest companies shaping how we ride, rent, borrow, and think are private — and private means they owe you nothing. A former SEC director on the economy you’re not allowed to see.
July Job Losses Report Adds to Pressure on Trump Ahead of Midterms
A string of reports highlighting the poor state of the economy for regular Americans is bad news for Republicans and has a Democratic senator questioning why the administration has tweaked the methodology with which it calculates inflation.
Amid Blanche Confirmation Battle, NM Sues DOJ for Access to Epstein Docs
Before senators vote on Todd Blanche’s confirmation, they should look into allegations from New Mexico that his Department of Justice is delaying an investigation in the crimes Jeffrey Epstein and others may have committed at his Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe.
In a Twist of Irony, AIPAC Probably Won the Michigan Primary for El-Sayed
The more than $30 million that AIPAC spent on opposing Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat’s newly minted Senate nominee in Michigan, backfired in a big way in the primary. We take an early look at how the general election may play out.
China’s Solar Industry Is Losing Money. The Country Is Doubling Down Anyway.
Brutal price wars among manufacturers have caused solar panel prices to plummet, making renewable energy cheaper than ever.