Ben King
@brknyc.bsky.social
Art director, MS NOW. Previously: BuzzFeed News, etc
I wrote about how Trump achieved the opposite of sportswashing with his hosting of the World Cup. He somehow managed to portray the U.S. in an exceptionally *negative* light through his actions, as a reflexively corrupt, cruel leader who cannot conceptualize organic joy. www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
Opinion | Trump made the World Cup another stage for his cruelty and corruption
Instead of allowing visitors to focus on the best of America, he showed them the worst of himself.
ms.now
My column on how Platner represented the perils of ends-justify-the-means thinking and desperation to secure the next great populist hope: www.ms.now/opinion/grah...
Opinion | The foreseeability of Graham Platner’s downfall
Some on the left blinded themselves with ends-justify-the-means thinking. That backfired.
ms.now
new from me: the White House doesn’t want real history in the National Museum of American History. instead, engaging in toxic fandom, shaming the Smithsonian for not stanning its favs hard enough
Opinion | The White House doesn’t want history at the Smithsonian. It wants fandom.
A report attacking the National Museum of American History would prefer Americans feel a shallow patriotic crush than truly love this country.
ms.now
Two wealthy Democrats have put more than $35 million of their own money fighting each other for a House seat in western Maryland — a sum that would rank among the most ever poured into a primary for the chamber, in a race that will do nothing to decide control of Congress.
‘What a frickin’ waste’: Inside the plutocrat feud for a Maryland congressional seat
The state’s sixth congressional district has quickly become an expensive primary with muted widespread meaning.
bit.ly
News: The Onion is launching the new Infowars July 2. After years of legal wrangling and months of maneuvering by Alex Jones's lawyers to block its takeover, the Sandy Hook families are finally getting their first check... from The Onion. www.ms.now/news/onion-s...
The Onion says it will sidestep courts to launch Infowars and pay Sandy Hook families
The Onion’s staff is tired of waiting for the courts to settle its pending takeover of Alex Jones’ brand, so the new Infowars will launch next month.
ms.now
Every line of this Heidi Blake story is totally horrifying in new and unimaginable ways www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse
How the defining figure of the manosphere built a fortune—and became a political force—by systematically exploiting women.
newyorker.com
“If you went to a laboratory and tried to create the worst general election candidate for this state and environment possible, you couldn’t do better than Mike Collins,” a prominent Georgia Republican strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told MS NOW.
The Trump candidate who could cost Republicans Georgia
Rep. Mike Collins has the president’s support. Winning in November is another question.
bit.ly
Ben Bergquam, a host on Real America’s Voice News, frequently embeds with ICE agents and celebrates on camera as they remove people from their homes. Read more from Christopher Mathias:
ICE brings this far-right streamer on immigration raids as he pumps out MAGA propaganda
Ben Bergquam, a host on Real America’s Voice News, frequently embeds with ICE agents and celebrates on camera as they remove people from their homes.
bit.ly
New for @ms.now: Ben Bergquam is Proud Boys associate who calls anti-ICE protesters “cockroaches." ICE keeps letting him film raids for his anti-immigrant propaganda Altho he depicts immigrants as criminals, nearly everyone in his orbit has criminal histories themselves www.ms.now/news/ice-mag...
ICE brings this far-right streamer on immigration raids as he pumps out MAGA propaganda
Ben Bergquam, a host on Real America’s Voice News, frequently embeds with ICE agents and celebrates on camera as they remove people from their homes.
ms.now
Trump has used the clemency power like no president in history, freeing fraudsters, drug traffickers and corrupt politicians. But his pardon of over 1,000 Jan. 6 defendants stands apart. MS NOW is spotlighting the clemency granted to Jan. 6 defendants as part of a new series, “Justice Interrupted.”
‘Incredibly dangerous’: Capitol officer badly beaten by Jan. 6 rioters says Trump pardons absolved them
The latest in MS NOW’s “Justice Interrupted” series examines the pardons of Jan. 6 defendants, including some of the 170 who were convicted of beating police officers.
bit.ly
At least 500 babies and toddlers have been detained by ICE in Trump's second term, according to new analysis by MS NOW and @themarshallproject.org.
ICE has detained over 500 babies and toddlers under Trump
On an average day, ICE has 25 children aged 3 or younger in custody, according to joint research by MS NOW and The Marshall Project.
bit.ly
My thoughts on Hunter Biden becoming a populist Internet Guy www.ms.now/opinion/hunt...
Opinion | Hunter Biden is becoming a populist Internet Guy. I have many questions.
The former president’s son is in his posting era. Does he know what he’s doing?
ms.now
For four election cycles, Jared Golden won a congressional district that, on paper, should’ve landed with Republicans. Now he’s leaving, and the question that could help determine control of the House is whether any Democrat can do what he did.
The House seat Democrats are terrified of losing
With Jared Golden gone, Republicans smell an opening in a rural Maine district that could help tip House control. Democrats are still figuring out who can hold it.
bit.ly
New York is overflowing with good vibes over the Knicks’ historic run to the NBA Finals. It doesn’t need Trump crashing the party tonight. Read more from Anthony Fisher:
Opinion | Just let Knicks’ fans have this moment, Trump. Stay away.
Anthony L. Fisher: New York is overflowing with good vibes over the Knicks’ historic run to the NBA Finals. It doesn’t need Trump crashing the party.
bit.ly
The two men competing to be Iowa’s Democratic Senate nominee agree on at least one thing: Their party needs a rebrand. Read more from Alex Tabet and Emily Gold:
Iowa Democrats attempt to shed national party baggage
Front-runner Josh Turek stresses the need to redefine what it means to be a Democrat, while underdog Zach Wahls says the party’s brand is “toxic.”
bit.ly
OPINION by MS NOW writer Hayes Brown: "GOP voters shifting away from Trump is bad enough for Republicans hoping to win in November. But the collapse of the coalition that sent Trump to office makes things all the worse." READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
Opinion | Why Trump's cratering poll numbers are so remarkable
His approval rating is lower than it has been since immediately after leaving office — but you need to look beneath the hood for the real story.
ms.now
Project 2025 promised a right-wing revolution in American government. Democrats’ Project 2029 promises to ... take on the “annoyance economy” and cut down on surprise fees and impossible cancellations. From me: www.ms.now/opinion/proj...
Opinion | Project 2029 sure doesn’t look like an answer to Project 2025
A Democratic group is displaying a puzzling lack of ambition for the party’s policy vision.
ms.now
OPINION by MS NOW newsletter editor Ryan Teague Beckwith: "The sheer number of Republicans who believe things that aren’t true distorts the political landscape." READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/repu...
Republican voters believe things that aren’t true. That’s a problem for the GOP.
The party can’t make good arguments or put forward solutions unless it’s grounded in reality.
ms.now
Trump’s 11th-hour backing of Ken Paxton over four-term incumbent John Cornyn was a sharp signal to Senate Republicans: Lukewarm loyalty is no loyalty at all.
A Texas-sized warning to the GOP: Don’t mess with Trump
In backing Ken Paxton over four-term incumbent John Cornyn, the president is putting every Senate Republican on notice.
bit.ly
Spencer Pratt says he's "not a political person." So why is MAGA — and Trump himself — rallying behind his run for LA mayor? Read more from Julianne McShane:
Spencer Pratt is looking at the MAGA in the mirror
He’s a reality TV star running for mayor of Los Angeles with a fan base in the millions and a populist message — but don’t ask him about Donald Trump.
bit.ly
Trump’s slush fund functions as a funding mechanism for a paramilitary www.ms.now/opinion/how-...
Opinion | How Trump is angling to give cash to a MAGA paramilitary
Trump's new slush fund functions as a way to encourage insurrectionists to break the law on his behalf.
ms.now
Thomas Massie hasn’t actually run away from Trump. In many ways, he is doing something more damaging. Read more from Matt Fuller:
The parable and paradox of Thomas Massie
The Kentucky lawmaker says he represents 40% of the GOP. And he warns that Republicans may be about to make a big mistake.
bit.ly
Finally got to do some art for the mighty @letsgomathias.bsky.social!
MS NOW@ms.now · 3mo agoIn the hours after he allegedly shot a Black man outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, a racist streamer known as “Chud the Builder” started raking in money from viewers, using an obscure crypto-based platform that allows users to invest in content as they watch.
New: A racist streamer shot a black man. His fans rewarded him with cash. My look for @MS.Now at how Pump.Fun, a memecoin site with livestreaming, and GiveSendGo could enable Chud The Builder — who films himself calling black people slurs — to receive nearly $175,000 www.ms.now/news/chud-th...
A racist streamer shot a Black man in Tennessee. Viewers paid him handsomely.
“Chud the Builder” broadcast his bigoted stunts on Pump.Fun, a crypto-based streaming platform that allows viewers to invest in creators as they watch.
ms.now
OPINION by MS NOW opinion editor James Downie: "Perhaps Trump’s fortunes will suddenly turn. But I wouldn’t bet on it." READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
Opinion | Trump’s polls just passed a historic low
The president is now more unpopular than Joe Biden ever was
ms.now
OPINION by MS NOW political analyst Matthew Bartlett: "Even Trump is reportedly asking friends and advisers about who would be better – Vance or Rubio. That question alone is a telling admission about the president’s thoughts about his own vice president." READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/jd-v...
Opinion | The GOP whispers about JD Vance are getting louder
Expect the jockeying for the 2028 Republican nomination to continue – but only behind the scenes.
ms.now
The Justice Department is investigating Allen’s possible ties to broad leftist networks. Nearly a thousand social media posts shared with MS NOW paint a more nuanced and isolating picture. Read more from @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social
Before he allegedly tried to kill Trump, Cole Allen aired frustration with nonviolent protest
The Justice Department is investigating Allen’s possible ties to broad leftist networks. His social media posts paint a more nuanced and isolating picture.
bit.ly
The most fundamental hurdle to the DHS plan to hold tens of thousands of immigration detainees in structures built as would-be retail distribution centers isn’t political. It’s the plumbing. Read more from Paul Murphy:
Plans to warehouse ICE detainees don’t address the plumbing problem
An MS NOW review finds a lack of DHS planning for drinking water and wastewater that could scuttle the next phase of mass deportation.
bit.ly
