FIRST ON MS NOW: Warning that the US already has the “ingredients” of a “strongman state,” Sen. Jeff Merkley is rolling out a sweeping legislative package designed to curb what he calls authoritarian abuses of power — with Trump squarely in mind. www.ms.now/news/democra...

Democrats unveil sweeping proposal to combat Trump authoritarianism

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is packaging together a number of existing bills with some new ideas to curb what he calls authoritarian abuses of presidential power.

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Sen. Schumer — who told me today that the Trump White House is demonstrating a “level of corruption unseen in America in all of history" — unveiled legislation Thursday to create a new federal agency dedicated to investigating corruption in the executive branch. www.ms.now/news/schumer...

Schumer unveils anti-corruption agency aimed squarely at Trump

Schumer said the Trump White House is demonstrating a “level of corruption unseen in America in all of history.”

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Republicans worry about rising gas prices as midterms near — but won’t blame Trump. NRCC chair Richard Hudson told me “we need to support what” Trump is doing in Iran, adding: “If that means we have to go to the voters and explain it, so be it.” #Iran www.ms.now/news/republi...

Republicans worry about rising gas prices — but won't blame Trump

Gas prices are going up just as the midterm elections heat up.

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When Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, took the stage during the recent July Fourth weekend to recite the Declaration of Independence, there was one notable image just steps away. The Confederate battle flag. www.ms.now/news/dan-sul...

GOP senator recites Declaration of Independence — next to a Confederate flag

As he stood a few feet from a Confederate flag, Sen. Dan Sullivan noted that everyone is guaranteed the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

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Republicans continue to show little appetite for forcing Trump to seek congressional authorization for the #Iran war. Many told me the recent "ceasefire" means the latest hostilities amount to a *new* conflict — so POTUS gets another 90 day clock. www.ms.now/news/republi...

Republicans back Trump’s legal theory to continue the Iran war without congressional approval

The Trump administration is arguing that the renewed conflict in Iran is legally distinct from the war that began in February because of a short-lived ceasefire.

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Rep. Joe Morelle — House Dems' point-man on countering Trump's potential efforts to meddle in the midterms — tells me his team is gaming out "north of 100" potential scenarios. Think: deploying the Natl Guard or unilaterally enacting parts of the SAVE Act www.ms.now/news/house-d...

House Democrats meet in secret to game plan Trump’s midterm meddling

Behind closed doors, Democrats are running through hypothetical scenarios in which Trump interferes with the elections — and they are figuring out how they can respond.

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Dispatch from #Maine — With @MaineDems now racing to find a replacement for Graham Platner, many Dem voters told me they’d love to see the new candidate espouse Platner’s anti-establishment, populist, and at times pugilistic style — but minus the scandal www.ms.now/news/maine-d...

Maine Democrats seek a Platner-like change agent — ‘without the baggage’

After Graham Platner’s implosion, Democratic voters in Maine, as one put it, are looking for a replacement “with a clean bill of health.”

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Please join me on MS NOW 10a-1p w/ @kevinjfrey.bsky.social @jimacosta.bsky.social Rebecca Kelly Slaughter Shelby Talcott @mollyjongfast.bsky.social @esglaude.bsky.social #Connect 1/2

EXCLUSIVE: @jamestalarico.bsky.social is jumping headlong into his Senate bid against Ken Paxton w/ his first major ad of the general election — and is putting millions of dollars behind it. The 30 sec spot, shared first w/ MS NOW, will air on local TV across #Texas www.ms.now/news/james-t...

James Talarico has a new ad — with millions behind it

The Democratic Senate candidate is subtly swinging at Ken Paxton, while hitting familiar themes on affordability.

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As Trump & Iran move forward with an MOU to end the war, many congressional Republicans are expressing unease about what the deal means for the US. But several GOPers have also expressed concern with what the agreement means for another country: Israel. www.ms.now/news/republi...

Republicans raise concerns that Trump’s Iran deal could come at Israel’s expense

Some Republicans are so concerned that Trump’s deal is bad for Israel that they’re reminding Israel that they weren’t a party to the agreement.

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The more Senate Republicans learn about Trump’s Iran deal, the more they don’t like it www.ms.now/news/senate-...

The more Senate Republicans learn about Trump’s Iran deal, the more they don’t like it

“This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Wednesday.

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The tarp remains up at the Kennedy Center and is drawing its own crowd of onlookers, many hoping to get their first look at Trump-less name plate. Lots of selfies and photos. I asked one gentlemen, walking in for a concert, how he felt. “Ding ding, the witch is dead,” he said.

SCOOP: House Dems want answers about a recent policy change at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, arguing leaders at the DOJ are trying to “cover their tracks” following the August transfer of #Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security facility. www.ms.now/news/democra...

Democrats demand answers over DOJ’s prison policy change tied to Ghislaine Maxwell

Democrats are questioning the timing of a Bureau of Prisons policy change that, they say, is the Trump administration trying to "cover their tracks" with Ghislaine Maxwell.

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Scoop: Reps. Jason Crow, AOC, and Mike Levin are launching a new “End Corruption Caucus” — aimed at fighting malfeasance in government. It comes as lawmakers grow increasingly frustrated with Trump’s planned $1.8B lawsuit settlement fund and his thousands of stock trades. www.ms.now/news/house-d...

GOP divisions over President Trump's White House ballroom, the Iran war and a new "anti-weaponization" fund are spilling out in public. @kevinjfrey.bsky.social has more updates. @tarasetmayer.bsky.social and @ashleyrparker.bsky.social join Chris Jansing with analysis. www.ms.now/chris-jansin...

Trump and GOP battle over $1.8 billion fund, Iran war and White House ballroom

GOP divisions over President Trump's White House ballroom, the Iran war and a new "anti-weaponization" fund are spilling out in public. MS NOW Capitol Hill Reporter Kevin Frey has the latest updates. ...

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Four GOP senators voted with Dems to procedurally advance a war powers resolution Tuesday. The latest GOP defection is Sen. Bill Cassidy, who just lost his bid for reelection to the Senate after Trump backed a challenger in the Louisiana primary. www.ms.now/news/senate-...

Senate approves war powers vote to rein in Trump on Iran

Through a combination of Republican absences and a surprise GOP supporter, Democrats succeeded on a procedural motion to end hostilities in Iran.

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FIRST ON MS NOW: House Democrats filed an amicus brief arguing Trump is working to “undermine the Constitution” by seeking a settlement from the IRS over the leak of his tax returns years ago. www.ms.now/news/house-d...

House Democrats accuse Trump of ‘corruption unparalleled’ over IRS settlement talks

House Democrats filed an amicus brief arguing Trump is working to “undermine the Constitution” by seeking a settlement from the IRS over the leak of his tax returns years ago.

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First on MS NOW: @raskin.house.gov is intro'ing anti-corruption legislation aimed at putting new checks on the White House. “Trump’s political corruption is not peripheral or marginal. It is the central object of the entire administration,” he told me. www.ms.now/news/democra...

Democrats preview a possible House majority with Jamie Raskin’s new anti-corruption push

Raskin’s legislation targets “self-enrichment” by Trump and future presidents.

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The Senate is expected to vote on Kevin Warsh, President Trump's Fed Chair pick. This comes as Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump and combat higher prices at the grocery store. @kevinjfrey.bsky.social and Jared Bernstein join Erielle Reshef to explain more. www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...

Wholesale inflation jumps 6% compared to last year

The Senate is expected to vote on Kevin Warsh, President Trump's Fed Chair pick. This comes as Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump and combat higher prices at the grocery store.  MS NOW Ca...

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Unfortunately for Trump, lawmakers actually get a say on the president's proposed gas tax suspension. And so far, even top Republicans on Capitol Hill are not exactly offering full-throated endorsements. www.ms.now/news/trump-g...

Trump’s gas tax holiday has some Democratic allies — and plenty of GOP skepticism

Democrats are trying to prevent Trump and Republicans from pinning the high gas prices on them. But Republicans aren’t exactly sold on the president’s gas tax holiday.

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Jeffries' spox on Kiggans: "Extremists who endorse disgusting, vile and racist language are pathetic. Jen Kiggans has no interest in our nation’s progress toward a multi-racial democracy and apparently craves a return to the days of Jim Crow racial oppression in the South."

Inside the Democratic quest to learn the actual cost of the #Iran war >> Democrats are demanding answers on how much the Iran war has actually cost. So far, the Trump admin has offered smoke, mirrors and a "lowball" estimate. w/ David Rohde www.ms.now/news/democra...

Inside the Democratic quest to learn the actual cost of the Iran war

Democrats are demanding answers on how much the Iran war has actually cost. So far, the Trump administration has offered smoke, mirrors and a lowball estimate.

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“We get one day with this guy, so we’re going to use it.” Democrats finally get their chance to grill Pete Hegseth on Iran. What to expect at today’s House hearing >> www.ms.now/news/hegseth...

Democrats finally get their chance to grill Pete Hegseth on Iran

As the Iran war enters its third month, Democrats get their first opportunity to demand answers from the Defense Secretary.

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Lawmakers play the blame game after WHCD scare. “Clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use,” House Dem Leader @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social advised Republicans. “I don’t give a damn about your criticism.” www.ms.now/news/lawmake...

‘I don’t give a damn about your criticism’: Lawmakers play the blame game after WHCD scare

Saturday’s incident reignited a debate between Republicans and Democrats over whether the war of words is sparking violence.

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With the Iran war closing in on two months, congressional Republicans continue to give Trump wide latitude, downplaying questions about the shifting timelines — during a midterm election year, no less — and insisting the US needs to accomplish its goals. www.ms.now/news/trump-i...

As Trump’s Iran war drags on, Republicans urge patience

President Donald Trump has changed his timeline on Iran repeatedly, and Republicans continue to stand by.

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From earlier today ... Me: "Was this nine month [congressional redistricting] exercise worth it?" NRCC Chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C.: "Not for me to decide that. Wasn’t my decision."

Me: "Was this nine month [congressional redistricting] exercise worth it?" NRCC Chair Richard Hudson: "Not for me to decide that. Wasn’t my decision." www.ms.now/news/republi...

Republicans are suddenly having some regrets over the redistricting war

While Virginia’s new congressional map is already facing a serious legal challenge, Republicans look like they could actually lose seats as a result of the mid-decade redistricting battle.

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Virginia voters approved a redistricting measure that could help Democrats gain 4 seats in the state. @kevinjfrey.bsky.social has more details. @larrysabato.bsky.social and David Wasserman join @anacabrera.bsky.social to discuss what the move could mean for the midterms. www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...

Elections expert reacts to Virginia redistricting measure passing: 'This is about Trump'

Virginia voters approved a redistricting measure that could help Democrats gain four seats in the state. MS NOW Capitol Hill Reporter Kevin Frey has more details. Director of The University of Virgini...

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With this win in Virginia, Democrats have in effect made the nationwide congressional redistricting war (started at the behest of Trump in Texas last year) a wash. One major outstanding question remains: Florida. Background from a recent story here: www.ms.now/news/hakeem-...

Jeffries argues the GOP started the gerrymandering fight — and Democrats will ‘finish it’

The Virginia redistricting battle could be the difference between Democrats controlling the House of Representatives next year.

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NEW: House Dems launch investigation into Jared Kushner In a letter obtained first by MS NOW, @raskin.house.gov says Kushner’s dual roles as Trump peace envoy & leader of a private equity firm present a “glaring and incurable conflict of interest.” Story: www.ms.now/news/iran-ne...