Ledge King
@ledyardking.bsky.social
Managing Editor of NJ Daily at nationaljournal.com
The slim GOP majorities in both chambers mean that renegades like Sen. Thom Tilis have more power than usual—if they decide to use it. @ledyardking.bsky.social with the latest Point of Order (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/731684/who...
Who’s the next Thom Tillis?
Several GOP lawmakers could potentially follow the North Carolina Republican's lead and buck the White House on key Trump agenda items.
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For three freshman Democratic senators, health care has always been a guiding light of their politics. But when it affected their fathers, it got personal. By Nancy Vu and @ledyardking.bsky.social (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/731685/a-s...
‘A shared bond’: How three freshman senators are trying to fix health care
Alsobrooks, Blunt Rochester, and Kim reveal how personal loss is driving their work to reverse health care cuts, save Obamacare, and possibly oust RFK Jr.
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Congress will get at least one more chance to do something big and bipartisan this year: pass a highway bill. @ledyardking.bsky.social with the latest Point of Order (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/731755/the...
The rocky road ahead for the highway bill
Fights over formula-based funding and electric-vehicle fees, along with the bill’s overall size and scope, await Congress.
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Police officers who waited years to see the Jan. 6 memorial plaque finally installed are unhappy it doesn’t occupy a more prominent space commanding public view. @ledyardking.bsky.social with the latest Point of Order (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/731229/the...
The Jan. 6 reminder that every future president will see
Sen. Thom Tillis said the installation of a memorial plaque should not be seen as a larger act of defiance by Republicans increasingly willing to push back against parts of Trump's agenda.
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As Congress hurtles towards another spending crisis, consider this: Donald Trump already has lost the battle over federal belt-tightening. @ledyardking.bsky.social reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/730823/the...
The spending lesson Congress is teaching Trump
The president marched into office vowing to slash spending at multiple agencies, but both Republicans and Democrats have opted to ignore much of his proposed budget.
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It’s another instance of the president pushing the envelope in an area where the executive branch (theoretically) has no authority in which to meddle. @ledyardking.bsky.social with the latest Point of the Order (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/730892/tru...
Trump’s latest litmus test for Republicans gets a tepid reception
The president's push to 'nationalize' elections is landing with a thud on Capitol Hill.
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Wednesday's acrimonious House Judiciary Committee slugfest was just the latest in a long line of ignominious hearings this century that diminish Congress’s reputation. @ledyardking.bsky.social reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/730961/tha...
‘Thank you for the insult’: How Pam Bondi’s congressional hearing represents the moment
Wednesday's acrimonious House Judiciary Committee slugfest was just the latest in a long line of ignominious hearings this century that diminish Congress’s reputation.
nationaljournal.com
As Democrats try to emphasize an affordability agenda—especially in swing districts—that may determine control of the lower chamber, lawmakers have seemingly settled on a half measure: Impeach Cabinet members. @ledyardking.bsky.social reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/730756/for...
Forget impeaching Trump—Democrats are going after his Cabinet
Articles already have been filed against Hegseth, Noem, and RFK Jr. despite concerns that it could muddle Democrats' messaging on affordability.
nationaljournal.com
Now that “affordability” has become the buzzword of the midterms, the former real-estate magnate who rode his capitalist credentials is suddenly a kindred spirit with Democrats. @ledyardking.bsky.social in Point of Order (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/730700/tru...
Trump sounds like a progressive lately. Democrats are having (almost) none of it.
The opposition dismisses the president’s push to curb CEO pay, drive down housing costs, and cap credit-card interest rates as ‘panic’ ahead of the midterms.
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It’s hard to imagine any of those House measures—all passed largely along party lines—going anywhere in the Senate. @ledyardking.bsky.social with Point of Order (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/730549/why...
Why the House's ‘hugely historic’ week might not matter
The flurry of partisan-laced measures passed in the last days of the year may not mean much come January.
nationaljournal.com
You've already experienced theC-SPAN Radio podcast "Extreme Mortman" episode: Presidents take summer vacations. Now time for long-awaited, hugely-demanded sequel: Presidents take WINTER vacations! W/ special guests @kirk-bado.bsky.social @ledyardking.bsky.social Find ExMo wherever you get podcasts
Presidents Take Winter Vacations for Christmas and New Years -- History with Kirk Bado PODCAST PROMO
YouTube video by EXTREME POLITICAL HISTORY - VIDEO PODCAST & JOKES
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Have we reached a tipping point when it comes to climate? A recent study says yes but it's not too late to mitigate the problem. Read this free story from @ledyardking.bsky.social and @savbehrmanndc.bsky.social to find out what happens next:
'Tipping point': Climate study suggests planet is entering uncharted territory
The new report on coral-reef die-off comes amid moves by the Trump administration to double down on fossil fuel production while defunding or canceling renewable-energy projects.
njour.nl
On this episode, @ledyardking.bsky.social brings on @caseywooten.bsky.social and @savbehrmannDC.bsky.social to discuss the potential pathways for the 'big, beautiful bill.' Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6HZO...
National Journal Radio Episode 79: A Step Closer for Budget Reconciliation
National Journal Radio · Episode
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In this free Q&A, @ledyardking.bsky.social talks to @gregsmithpolls.bsky.social about the U.S. Catholic community as the first North American assumes the papacy. www.nationaljournal.com/s/728569/qa-...
Q&A with Gregory Smith
The senior associate director for religion research at the Pew Research Center discusses the U.S. Catholic community as the first North American assumes the papacy.
nationaljournal.com
Following a year that saw record ridership of nearly 33 million, a 9 percent jump in ticket revenue, and more than $4 billion in federal outlays to upgrade its infrastructure, Amtrak is facing a new reality. @ledyardking.bsky.social reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/728389/amt...
Amtrak chugs along amid talk of privatization, specter of funding cuts
Freight companies gave up passenger service. Would the private sector want it back from the federal government?
nationaljournal.com
On this episode, @ledyardking.bsky.social brings on @savbehrmanndc.bsky.social and @caseywooten.bsky.social for the latest updates on budget reconciliation. Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3nf3...
National Journal Radio Episode 78: The Big, Beautiful Bill
National Journal Radio · Episode
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Last year, Republican campaigners pivoted to the evolving media universe with more agility than their Democrat counterparts. Can Dems figure out this space in time for the midterms? @nenonicolosio.bsky.social and @savberhmanndc.bsky.social report (unlocked)
After GOP dominance in 2024, Democrats aim to carve out space in new-media world
'What Republicans did so well is that they politically coded culture instead of trying to culturally code politics.'
nationaljournal.com
Democratic senators are pushing back against the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to clamp down on free speech and academic freedoms at some of the nation’s elite universities. Check out the NJ Daily: www.nationaljournal.com/s/728219/out...
OUTLOOK: Dem senators to White House: Explain yourself on higher ed
Plus: Judge blocks Trump order requiring documented proof of citizenship to vote, and DOGE presence at FDIC alarms Democrats.
nationaljournal.com
Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s visit to El Salvador wasn’t just a mission to rescue a Maryland constituent wrongly deported by the Trump admin. It also served as the latest volley on what the nation should do about immigration. @savbehrmannDC reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/728327/kee...
'Keep pushing back': Immigration likely to be flashpoint for Senate’s return
Despite being in the minority, Democrats could use the upcoming debate on budget reconciliation or fiscal '26 spending as leverage to soften Trump's border agenda.
nationaljournal.com
Ben Ferguson has been in radio and podcasting since he was 13. But, he says, the medium has never been more impactful than it is right now. James A. Downs reports in the new special report Margins to Mainstream from @nationaljournal.com (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/728229/ted...
For most of the past century of White House Correspondent's Association dinners, presidents have weighed in on the other side by helping to get stars they wanted to see. Read from George E. Condon Jr. on @nationaljournal.com (unlocked):
How the press has wooed the president
Family members, famous entertainers, and golf putters have all been part of correspondents' work behind the scenes to make attending their annual dinner appealing to the occupant of the White House.
nationaljournal.com
Experts note that El Salvador was chosen as a prime destination for the deportees because there’s so little oversight in the country. @cmaza.bsky.social reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/728302/tru...
Trump views El Salvador as the perfect country to send deported immigrants. Here's why.
In El Salvador under the Bukele regime, one human-rights activist says: 'The government can do whatever it wants to whomever it wants.'
nationaljournal.com
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday a sweeping restructuring of the State Department, including a new organizational chart for the department that leads U.S. foreign relations. Check out the NJ Daily Outlook: www.nationaljournal.com/s/728301/out...
OUTLOOK: Rubio restructures State Department in move to put ‘Americans first’
PLUS: Trump administration to restart collections on defaulted student loans, and Judiciary Dems press law firms for being ‘complicit’ with White House demands.
nationaljournal.com
'Keep all our options on the table': In this unlocked Q&A, Brando Benifei, chair of Europe's parliamentary delegation to the U.S., sits down with @cmaza.bsky.social to discuss the state of tariff negotiations with the Trump administration. njour.nl/s/728248?unl...
Q+A with Brando Benifei
The chair of Europe's parliamentary delegation to the U.S. discusses the state of tariff negotiations with the Trump administration.
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Former Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, who sits on the DNC, plans to spend $20M from an org he controls in solid-blue districts to drum out the “culture of seniority politics." Fellow Dems are not happy. To find out more, read tonight's NJ OUTLOOK: www.nationaljournal.com/s/728249/out...
OUTLOOK: Democrats get Hogg-tied
PLUS: RFK Jr. to probe autism ‘epidemic’; swing-district Republicans oppose Medicaid cuts; NSF kills advisory boards; and Trump resurrects old ideas to lower drug prices.
buff.ly
Efforts to extend, reform, and even possibly make permanent some tax credits to alleviate childcare costs are bubbling up again on Capitol Hill. @savbehrmannDC.bsky.social reports (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/728264/eff...
Efforts to reform, expand child-related tax credits take root on Capitol Hill
Lawmakers are eyeing the reconciliation budget package as a vehicle for the credits.
nationaljournal.com
Courts around the world are hearing cases about whether the use of copyrighted data to train these programs violates the law. Check out the NJ Daily Outlook: www.nationaljournal.com/s/728265/out...
OUTLOOK: Battle over intellectual-property rights could test Musk’s influence
PLUS: More than 870 clinics impacted by Title X funding freeze, and Van Hollen blocked from Salvadoran prison as judge blasts administration.
nationaljournal.com
President Trump has moved beyond a critical focus on the dinner, ratcheting up his attacks on the correspondents who cover him and the organization. Read George E. Condon's analysis (unlocked): www.nationaljournal.com/s/728206/cor...
Correspondents' dinner another episode in cold war between White House, reporters
Things were already chilly as the West Wing froze out the AP and took over pool assignments. Then came Amber Ruffin.
nationaljournal.com
NEW via @nationaljournal.com: As Trump's team launches new nuclear talks with Iran, regime opponents hope the events will lead to the fall of the Iranian government. www.nationaljournal.com/s/728232/now...
'Now or never': Trump launches new nuclear talks with Iran
Regime opponents hope these negotiations fail and that subsequent events will lead to the fall of the Iranian government.
nationaljournal.com
