Time will tell how ABC’s new lawsuit against the FCC works out, but when major media institutions fight back against administration abuses, instead of trying to appease the White House, it’s encouraging. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

ABC sues Trump’s Federal Communications Commission over broadcast license challenge

“Again and again, the Administration has attacked ABC’s speech — the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air,” the suit says.

ms.now

On the one hand, Trump believes voting by mail is inherently corrupt and a national scourge that must be crushed. On the other hand, Trump keeps voting by mail. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Among the *many* problems with Pete Hegseth hitting the campaign trail again: The White House increasingly sees Cabinet secretaries as little more than pieces on an electoral chess board to be moved around to the benefit Republicans, ethics laws be damned. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

The problem(s) with Hegseth and other Cabinet members hitting the campaign trial

If the defense secretary invested less time in the midterms and more time in the failing war with Iran, the nation would be far better off.

ms.now

There’s fresh evidence that the White House set out to punish an American state because it didn’t free a convicted felon the president likes. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” a federal judge said. “I’ve never even imagined something like it.” Shouldn’t this be a bigger scandal?

New evidence suggests White House took steps to punish Colorado over Tina Peters case

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” a federal district court judge said about a newly disclosed email. “I’ve never even imagined something like it.”

ms.now

It’s a familiar problem: Trump doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, and his misplaced arrogance creates a twisted sense of entitlement. It’s why he tries his hand at Navy ship design and choosing battleship catapult systems: He’s convinced of his own polymathic brilliance. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

It’s not just catapults: Navy eyes ship redesigns to match Trump’s aesthetic preferences

There’s apparently no one in the chain of command who can take the Republican aside and say, “Mr. President, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

ms.now

Among Trump’s many annoying habits: He’s convinced that he has limitless, unrivaled expertise in practically every subject. Unfortunately, that includes steam catapult systems for launching jet fighters from aircraft carriers, which the Navy does not want. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump brushes off Navy concerns, seeks use of steam catapults on aircraft carriers

The president is “a marginally failed real estate developer,” one senator said, who “shouldn’t be weighing in on systems on aircraft carriers.”

ms.now

Remember Republican hysterics about the deficit, coupled with Trump’s campaign promises to “easily” reduce the debt? They’re worth keeping in mind as the deficit soars with nary a word from the GOP. The party didn’t flip-flop — it never genuinely cared in the first place www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

U.S. budget deficit surges as Trump’s campaign promises continue to unravel

In his first term, the president said he would “easily” reduce the debt, but he delivered the opposite results. In his second term, it’s much worse.

ms.now

So thrilled to learn that our podcast Burn Order has won an Edward R. Murrow award! Thank you to the Radio Television Digital News Association @rtdna.bsky.social If you haven't listened to Burn Order yet, you can listen for free here, get transcripts of episodes, etc: www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

As the Trump-era economy struggles badly on job creation, Trump keeps saying the same thing: “More people are working right now in the United States than ever before.” I don’t think that means what he thinks it means. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump’s favorite economic talking point doesn’t mean what he thinks it means

“More people are working right now in the United States than ever before,” the president keeps saying, as if this were meaningful. It’s not.

ms.now

I’ve covered all kinds of Jan. 6 rioters who were re-arrested after receiving Trump pardons, but none of them faced accusations quite like the hair-touching guy — who was found guilty in DC yesterday. “It’s just a creepy thing to do,” the judge said. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

‘It’s just a creepy thing to do’: Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter convicted in hair-touching case

Quite a few Jan. 6 rioters have been re-arrested after their presidential pardon, but none have faced accusations quite like this.

ms.now

"It's just a creepy thing to do." Pardoned J6er convicted in hair touching incident. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/m...

Man accused of touching women's hair on Metro convicted of assault

A man accused of touching women’s hair as he sat behind them on Metro trains — and posting video of the incidents to social media — was found guilty Wednesday of a single count of simple assault.

nbcwashington.com

Mike Lindell’s loss is notable in its own right, but I’m struck by the larger context: Trump-backed candidates have lost a surprising number of GOP primaries lately, dispelling the idea that he’s a colossus who can snap his fingers and choose nominees. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Lindell flop in Minnesota’s GOP gubernatorial primary adds to Trump’s endorsement woes

After seven failed presidential endorsements in recent months, it’s clear the Republican incumbent is not the political colossus he has long claimed to be.

ms.now

My office has been in contact with the woman who recorded this video of an ICE agent drawing a gun on her. She is a Northern Virginia native and a mother.

Aaron Fritschner@fritschner.bsky.social · last wk.

Video of an ICE agent pulling a gun on a wife and mother, who is a US citizen born and raised in the area, near Bailey's Crossroads in Northern Virginia yesterday. Chillingly, they claimed she “almost ran them over” until she told them she had video proving that was a lie.

Trump’s executive order on vaccines offered a timely reminder: He thinks he has credibility on medicine, science, and public health. He doesn’t. Not to put too fine a point on this, but on scientific matters, this guy is about as reliable a source as a Magic 8 ball. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump pretends he has credibility on medicine, science and public health. He doesn’t.

Not to put too fine a point on this, but on scientific matters, the president is about as reliable a source as a Magic 8 ball.

ms.now

A notorious conspiracy theorist encouraged Trump to declare a national security emergency for elections and unilaterally impose voting restrictions without Congress. Instead of saying, “No, that’s insane,” he replied, “Let me just say, stranger things have happened, OK? I’ll leave it at that.”

‘Stranger things have happened’: Trump hedges when pressed on declaring election emergency

The fact that Trump left the door open to a constitutional crisis ahead of the midterms is, to understate matters, profoundly unsettling.

ms.now

“At immigration court for detained children in New York City on Wednesday, a boy named Diego represented himself in front of the judge, Lisa Ling.” "I don’t know how to do it,” he said about an asylum form he was asked to fill out in English. “I don’t know if you can help me fill it out.”

11 Years Old. In Immigration Court. Alone. No Lawyer.

More children than ever before are being forced to face immigration judges by themselves without legal representation, advocates say.

documentedny.com

Gabe Ortíz@tusk81.bsky.social · last wk.

ICYMI at @americasvoice.bsky.social: Trump stripped legal assistance from thousands of immigrant kids after refusing to pay its bills and allowing a federal contract to expire. The regime has since awarded a new $150m contract to a small, Trump-linked firm with little experience in immigration law:

I love this song for West LA Freeway Brigade’s message 8/6! We barely got any fingers for: HUMAN NEEDS NOT WAR & GREED (plus ICE OUT). Thank you @michnutrish.bsky.social @indivisiblewestsidela.com @hcrichardson.bsky.social @rbhubbell.bsky.social @bocksam.bsky.social @kathygriffin.bsky.social

Confronted with ugly economic data, the White House basically has three options. It can (1) try to make excuses; (2) ask for Americans’ patience; or (3) pitch an absurd alternate reality and hope for the best. Team Trump is predictably racing toward Door #3. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

The White House tries (and fails) to put a positive spin on ugly economic results

“If you look at the overall economy, then things are really, really booming,” the White House’s top economist said, despite reality.

ms.now

The good news is, the Trump administration finally found someone to punish for the Qatari Air Force One debacle. The bad news is, officials decided to punish a former Air Force secretary who didn’t do anything wrong. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Pentagon picks the wrong person to punish for Trump’s Air Force One debacle

Those looking for the actual scandal should look at what the president did, not at what the former Air Force secretary said.

ms.now

Trump said this week that Americans have “the greatest economy maybe in the history of the world.” The new job numbers show just how bonkers his happy-talk is. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Confronted with an obvious need for renewable energy, Trump admin officials used taxpayer money to scuttle an offshore wind project. Then they did it again. And again. And again. And this week, again. Total price tag in wasted taxpayer money: ~$4 billion and counting www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Team Trump uses taxpayer money to scuttle yet another renewable energy project

As one key Democratic member of Congress summarized, “It is hard to imagine a more backwards use of taxpayer money.”

ms.now

Blanche’s nomination offered Cassidy an opportunity, if not to formally undo his mistake on RFK Jr, then to at least level the scales a bit and start to restore his reputation as his career ends. Free to do as he pleases, and unburdened by party pressure or leverage, he still failed spectacularly.

GOP’s Cassidy didn’t have to back Blanche’s nomination. He made the wrong call anyway.

The White House and Republican leaders had no leverage over the Louisiana senator. It apparently didn’t matter.

ms.now

An unusual trifecta: Democratic Senate nominees have now dropped out in three states, at the party's urging, clearing the way for more competitive independents. Parties rarely try to advance their interests by pushing their own nominees to quit, but it's not a normal year www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

In multiple Senate races, Democrats get creative, try to win by not running a candidate

It’s the first election cycle I can think of in which a major party tried to advance its interests by pushing its nominees to quit.

ms.now

Democrats: Trump is really only looking out for his billionaire friends. Nevada’s Republican governor: Yeah, but that’s a good thing. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Republican governor defends Trump’s support for ‘his billionaire friends’

Nevada’s Joe Lombardo said the president is “taking care of” his “billionaire friends” — but argued that’s a good thing.

ms.now

“Max, Can REDACTED please have her bunny back? She’s had it since birth… Please don’t punish REDACTED if you’re upset with me,” Emily Moreno wrote to Rep. Max Miller in a March 2025 email. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Rep. Max Miller has a history of withholding his daughter's blue bunny

And we have the screenshots of emails and texts to prove it.

motherjones.com

Former J6 federal prosecutors are begging senators -- mostly GOPers, but a handful of Dems are in there, too -- to stop confirming election deniers to lifetime federal courts seats. “Please stop poisoning our courts." www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...

Former J6 Prosecutors Beg Senators To Stop Confirming Election Deniers To Court Seats

huffpost.com

After the Ethics Committee released its brutal report on Chuck Edwards on Monday, his campaign said the findings “exonerated” him, which was ridiculous. This morning, at 3:32 am, he dropped his re-election bid, but said he’s not resigning. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

GOP’s Chuck Edwards abandons re-election campaign following Ethics Committee report

“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” the congressman said. “I will complete my current term.”

ms.now

Tired of seeing voters go around them, Republican legislators in Missouri pushed a proposal to curtail citizen-initiated ballot measures, and asked voters to pass it. The gambit failed — by 60 points. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

In statewide ballot measures, Republican plans fall far short on multiple key issues

It’s not just candidates that the GOP has to worry about this year: The party is also suffering setbacks on closely watched ballot measures.

ms.now

Trump’s offensive against Pirro isn’t just about one prosecutor or one case. He’s taking this opportunity to remind prosecutors to think less like U.S. attorneys concerned with jurisprudential propriety and more like partisan operatives concerned with his wishes. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

‘She choked’: Trump rages against Pirro, but she’s not the only target

The president apparently wants Pirro to think less like a U.S. attorney concerned with propriety and more like an unflinching loyalist.

ms.now

There are a striking number of parallels between 2006 and 2026, though I’m especially interested in the GOP’s scandal-plagued members. Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, and Mark Foley have been replaced by Max Miller, Cory Mills, Chuck Edwards, and Tony Gonzales. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

As Republican scandals grow, the parallels between 2006 and 2026 become unavoidable

Twenty years later, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney and Mark Foley have been replaced by Max Miller, Cory Mills, Chuck Edwards and Tony Gonzales.

ms.now