Archives

The Rude Pundit: We Still Haven’t Left January 6th

On January 7, 2021, one day after a plague of festering dickscabs swarmed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election, I wrote the following:  “Every single Republican who ever enabled Donald Trump, and that includes supporting his campaign, voting for his judges and his fucking bullshit wall, […]

Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) won’t recuse himself from possible GOP investigation of Jan. 6 probe investigating him

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., would not commit on Sunday to recusing himself from a possible House GOP investigation of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation, even though federal investigators have looked at his role in the larger effort leading up to the insurrection and previously seized his cell phone.  “Why should I be limited? Why […]

Trump Takes A Bow For Kevin McCarthy’s Speaker Win: ‘I Did The Country A Big Favor!’

After earlier appearing to back away from Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become speaker of the House, Donald Trump was taking credit Saturday for the California Republican’s hard-fought victory. Trump, who recently said, “let’s see what happens” as McCarthy lost vote after humiliating vote, took credit for “greatly help[ing] McCarthy attain the position of Speaker […]

Biden makes first trip as president to U.S.-Mexico border as administration imposes restrictions

President Joe Biden traveled to El Paso, Texas, on Sunday to assess enforcement operations at the U.S.-Mexico border — his first trip to the border since taking office — just days after his administration announced new restrictions on asylum seekers amid record numbers of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. The trip comes amid […]

400 arrested as supporters of ex-President Bolsonaro storm Brazil government buildings

Chaos struck Brazil’s capital Sunday when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro descended on government buildings, breached them, climbed on a rooftop and broke windows. Video depicted damage to an office in the presidential palace, as well as broken windows in the country’s highest court. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sworn in Jan. 1, […]

SMHH VideoCast 1-6-23 with John Fugelsang and Frangela

StephCast F 1-6-23

Biden to mark Jan. 6 anniversary with presidential medals for election officials and police

President Joe Biden on Friday will mark the second anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to a dozen election workers, officials and law enforcement officers for “contributions to our democracy” before and during the riot, a White House official said. “These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during […]

Trump and 2 others sued over death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick after Jan. 6 riot

The longtime partner of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the Jan. 6 riot, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against former President Donald Trump and two men involved in assaulting Sicknick. Sicknick, 42, died a day after the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, […]

Bills-Bengals game postponed after Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest won’t be made up, NFL says

The postponed Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game will not bemade up following the terrifying collapse of safety Damar Hamlin, the league said Thursday. With one game left in the regular season, the NFL is still working out the details of how the canceled game will affect seeding for the playoffs, which begin Jan. 14-15. The NFL acknowledged […]

House adjourns after McCarthy loses 11th vote for speaker

For a third consecutive day, a bloc of ultraconservative bomb throwers denied GOP leader Kevin McCarthy the speaker’s gavel Thursday, even after he caved on a set of concessions the right-wing Republicans were demanding. It marked the 11th straight defeat for McCarthy, R-Calif., who has vowed to fight on. While he still maintained support from […]

StephCast Th 1-5-23

Biden and McConnell appear together in Kentucky as House Republicans are in disarray

In what’s sure to be a proverbial split-screen image, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is appearing alongside President Biden in Kentucky Wednesday to talk infrastructure improvements, at the same time that House Republicans enter a second day of the 118th Congress without having coalesced around a speaker.  The president and the top Senate Republican are […]

California storm prompts evacuation orders as state braces for flooding

Trees fell and wires were downed in San Francisco as a powerful storm hit California and prompted evacuation orders in other parts of the state Wednesday, officials said. Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier declared a state of emergency as the weather was expected to bring heavy rain, snow and flooding. The declaration will allow state agencies […]

Pope Benedict XVI’s Funeral Brings Thousands Of Mourners To St. Peter’s Square

Bells tolled Thursday for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who made history by retiring, as thousands of mourners packed St. Peter’s Square for a rare requiem Mass of a dead pontiff presided over by a living one. The faithful applauded as pallbearers carried Benedict’s cypress coffin out of the fog-shrouded […]

Kevin McCarthy Flops Again On Second Day Of House Speaker Votes – STILL No Speaker

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) failed again Wednesday to win the House speaker’s gavel after coming up short of a majority in the fourth, fifth and sixth votes of this week. A small but determined faction of Republicans in the Freedom Caucus joined all Democrats in opposing McCarthy, leaving the House in limbo for a second […]

StephCast W 1-4-23

Hope Hicks, former Trump aide, on Jan. 6: ‘We all look like domestic terrorists now’

Hope Hicks, who was a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, told an aide to Ivanka Trump that “we all look like domestic terrorists now” as the Capitol riot unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021. In texts released by the House Jan. 6 committee, Hicks expressed concern about the consequences of Trump’s actions to Julie […]

N.F.L. Says Suspended Game Won’t Resume This Week as Damar Hamlin Stays in Hospital

Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin remained in critical condition on Tuesday after he went into cardiac arrest during a prime-time N.F.L. game, a frightening reminder of the ever-present risk of serious injury in America’s biggest sport that has the league facing one of its worst crises in decades. Hamlin’s injury, following what looked like […]

George Santos Came to Washington. It Was Awkward.

Hounded by reporters whom he labored to avoid and shunned by members of his own party, George Santos, Republican representative-elect of New York, spent his first day in Congress as an outcast. For weeks, Mr. Santos had been hard to pin down, ignoring calls and texts, hiding out in Long Island and Queens, appearing only […]

House G.O.P. Paralyzed on Day 1 as Right Wing Blocks McCarthy Speakership

Republicans were deadlocked on Tuesday over who would lead their new majority after Representative Kevin McCarthy of California lost three votes for the top job, as hard-right lawmakers in open revolt dealt their party leader a humiliating setback and prompted a historic struggle on the House floor. The mutiny, waged by ultraconservative lawmakers who for […]

StephCast T 1-3-23

Charlie Pierce: Kevin McCarthy’s Ambitions Are Going to Take Him to Some Dark Places

Sometime next week, Kevin McCarthy, an amiable (if largely invertebrate) career politician from Bakersfield, California, will offer himself up as human sacrifice to the barbarian tribes of the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives.  Remember Richard Harris in the egregious 1970 movie, A Man Called Horse, in which Harris is a British nobleman who joins the […]

Steve Bannon Wanted To ‘Turn Up The Heat’ After Jan. 6 Violence

Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon had floated the idea of more violence in the days following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to text messages obtained by the House select committee that investigated the attack. The House Jan. 6 committee released its latest batch of material on Sunday from its […]

Jan. 6 Panel Transcripts Show Gen. Milley Agreed With Pelosi That Trump Was ‘Crazy’

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified last year he agreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that former President Donald Trump was “crazy” while he pledged that the country’s nuclear codes were safe during his tenure, according to transcripts of his testimony before lawmakers last year. The transcript is […]

Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin in critical condition after cardiac arrest on field during Monday Night Football

Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed Monday night after making a tackle during the first quarter against the Bengals in Cincinnati, and the game has been postponed, team officials said. Hamlin, 24, is currently hospitalized in critical condition, Buffalo Bills officials said in a statementposted on Twitter. “Damar Hamlin suffered […]

McCarthy struggles to clinch support to be House speaker, with hours to go before crucial vote

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is still struggling to clinch the necessary support to become the next speaker — less than a day before the new Congress convenes. McCarthy, who has been the top House Republican since 2019, is backed by a majority of his conference, some of whom say no one else is better […]

StephCast M 1-2-23

Biden to laud economic wins with McConnell as GOP takes over House

President Joe Biden will open the new year with a bipartisan show of support to tout one of his major legislative wins, appearing with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky to announce a major project funded by the infrastructure law. The appearance with McConnell, R-Ky., and other regional leaders from both parties Wednesday signals […]

Federal prosecutors open investigation into Rep.-elect George Santos over congressional campaign

Federal prosecutors in New York have opened an investigation into Rep.-elect George Santos, two law enforcement sources confirmed Thursday. The probe by federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York is at least the second investigation into Santos, a Republican, who acknowledged this week that he had fabricated and “embellished” several claims about his […]

Trump’s tax returns released by House committee show he paid little in taxes

A House committee on Friday made public six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, which showed he paid relatively little in federal taxes in the years before and during his presidency. The House Ways and Means Committee had voted to make the thousands of pages of federal returns public in a party-line vote […]

Kinzinger says he believes Justice Department ‘will do the right thing’ and charge Trump over Jan. 6

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Sunday that he believes the Justice Department will charge former President Donald Trump after the House Jan. 6 committee concluded its investigation detailing his pressure campaign to overturn the election. “If this is not a crime, I don’t know what is. If a president can incite an insurrection and not […]

The Rude Pundit: Haiku Review of 2022… Everything Everywhere All at Once

This fuckin’ year, man. Even as shit’s not really that bad, shit just feels like it’s spiraling down into the toilet of our abyssal politics. You can’t turn around without some jagoff screeching about “wokeism” or “groomers” or whatever nonsense word or phrase they’ve come up with to mean “People who make me mad for […]

Trump’s tax returns released by House committee after years of legal battles

A House committee made public six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns Friday, the culmination of years of legal wrangling and speculation about what might be contained in the filings. The House Ways and Means Committee had voted to make the thousands of pages of returns public in a party-line vote last week, […]

Rep. Jamie Raskin Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) revealed Wednesday that he’s been diagnosed with cancer and will soon begin treatment. “After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer,” he said in a statement. Raskin, 60, will soon commence an outpatient course of […]

Transportation Department will be looking into Southwest flight cancellations, Buttigieg says

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department will be looking into the Southwest Airlines scheduling system after thousands of canceled flights enraged passengers across the U.S. Southwest canceled 70% of its flight schedule Monday and Tuesday as it struggles to recover after extreme winter weather and staffing problems. “This has clearly crossed the line from […]

New York prosecutor looking into Rep.-elect George Santos, citing ‘fabrications and inconsistencies’

George Santos, the congressman-elect from New York who’s admitted to “embellishing” his résumé, is being investigated by a New York prosecutor. “The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning. The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in […]

Senate passes $1.7 trillion government funding bill that overhauls U.S. election law

The Senate voted Thursday to pass a $1.7 trillion government funding bill, sending it to the House to avoid a holiday shutdown. The vote was 68-29 on sweeping legislation that would keep the government funded through next fall and overhaul election laws in an attempt to prevent another Jan. 6. It came after votes on […]

Cassidy Hutchinson knew she was going to be ‘nuked’ for turning on Trump. She did it anyway.

Cassidy Hutchinson sped out of Washington in the wee hours of the morning while Googling “Watergate” on her phone, frantically looking for some kind of guidance on how to be a whistleblower. Until that moment, the former Donald Trump White House aide, who would go on to be the star witness of the House Committee […]

Jan. 6 committee report details the scope of Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn the election

The House Jan. 6 committee on Thursday unveiled its formal report, the final product of its historic 18-month investigation into the deadly attack on the Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “[A]fter nearly a year and a half of investigation, I am frightened about the peril our democracy faced. […]

Jan. 6 committee approves criminal referrals against Trump for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election

The House Jan. 6 committee voted Monday to recommend the Justice Department pursue a batch of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in an effort to overturn the 2020 election and the fomenting of a deadly mob at the Capitol. Trump was the first president in American history to be impeached […]

SMHH Videocast with Noel Casler 12-16-22

StephCast F 12-16-22

Trump lashes out at polls showing Ron DeSantis with a big lead in the 2024 GOP primaries

Former President Donald Trump unloaded Thursday on polling showing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis beating him in a head-to-head matchup for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. “Great polling has just come out on me versus various others, including [President Joe] Biden, but I still have to put up with the same old ‘stuff’ from The Wall […]

Senate sends Biden military bill that would lift Covid vaccine mandate for troops and authorize more Ukraine funding

The Senate passed a massive military policy bill Thursday that would direct the Defense Department to lift a Covid vaccination mandate for service members and authorize $858 billion in defense spending. The National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that authorizes Pentagon spending and policies, cleared the Senate in an 83-11 vote. Five Republicans and six […]

Twitter suspends journalists who have been covering Elon Musk and the company

Twitter on Thursday evening suddenly suspended several high-profile journalists who cover the platform and Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, who acquired the company just a few months ago. Hours after the suspensions took hold, Musk faced off with one of the journalists he suspended in a Twitter Space audio discussion […]

StephCast Th 12-15-22

Kinzinger Breaks Down Why He ‘Absolutely’ Believes Donald Trump Is ‘Guilty of a Crime’

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he believes former President Donald Trump is “guilty of a crime” for his behavior surrounding the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. “After all you have learned as a member of the committee. On a personal basis. So not speaking for the committee, but […]

Trump Hoarded Most Of The $147 Million In Small-Donor Money He Raised For Himself

Just weeks after touting a new super PAC to help Republican candidates in the November midterms, Donald Trump wound up spending just a fraction of the $100 million he had available ― and hoarded the rest for his own 2024 presidential run. The coup-attempting former president in October transferred $60 million from his Save America […]

Federal Reserve announces slower pace of interest rate hikes as inflation cools

Amid signs that price growth in the U.S. economy is rapidly cooling, the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it was slowing the pace of its rate-hiking program designed to tackle inflation — but that more hikes were still on the table. The Federal Open Market Committee said it was increasing its key federal funds rate by […]

Alleged Pelosi attacker also planned to go after Hunter Biden, Tom Hanks and Gavin Newsom, police say

The man charged with attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also had plans to target Hunter Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and actor Tom Hanks, according to a police officer who interviewed the alleged assailant. San Francisco Police Lt. Carla Hurley testified in court Wednesday that David DePape revealed the target list to […]

StephCast W 12-14-22 Update

Trump’s conservative base deserting him for DeSantis – poll

Most Republican-leaning voters would prefer Florida’s governor over Donald Trump as their 2024 presidential nominee, according to a survey. By a 56%-33% margin, conservative voters picked Governor Ron DeSantis over the former president, who formally launched his new campaign last month. The Suffolk University/USA Today poll also found President Joe Biden had higher approval numbers […]

Congressional negotiators reach bipartisan agreement on framework for funding deal

Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal Tuesday on the framework for a massive government funding package they hope to pass before the holidays. “Today, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chair DeLauro, and I reached a bipartisan, bicameral framework that should allow us to finish an omnibus appropriations bill that can pass the House and Senate and be […]

McConnell says Trump fueled ‘candidate quality’ problems in the midterms

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that former President Donald Trump’s endorsements in important 2022 primaries contributed to the nominations of poor candidates who fell short in swing states. He made the remarks at his weekly news conference, responding to a question from NBC News about whether he intends to play a more active […]

Biden signs same-sex marriage bill at White House ceremony

President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in a ceremony at the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also attended. “Today is a good day, a day America takes a vital step toward equality, toward liberty and justice, […]

StephCast T 12-13-22

Trump special counsel subpoenas Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to investigate former President Donald Trump at the Justice Department, has issued a subpoena to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Raffensperger on Monday received a subpoena from Smith dated Dec. 9, a spokesman for his office said. His office had no further comment. The subpoena was first reported Monday […]

Elon Musk’s Twitter Dissolves Trust And Safety Council

Elon Musk’s Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations that the company formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform. The council had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives Monday night. […]

Charlie Pierce: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Idea of Sarcasm Is Going to Get Someone Killed

Watching Rep. Kevin McCarthy try to muster up 218 people who want him to be speaker of the House—and he would sell his gray-haired granny to Somali pirates to get the gig—is some pretty boring horse-race stuff, truth be told. McCarthy is a dim, pale fellow whose every move is transparent and predictable. The real […]

StephCast M 12-12-22

Sinema’s switch to independent driven by ‘political aspirations,’ Sen. Bernie Sanders says

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party was driven by “political aspirations for the future in Arizona,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday. “I happen to suspect that it’s probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona,” Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in an interview on CNN’s […]

Marjorie Taylor Greene Says ‘We Would’ve Won’ If She Organized The Jan. 6 Attack

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) suggested the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol would have been successful if she’d been running the show. “I want to tell you something. If Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, we would’ve been armed,” she said of the Jan. 6, 2021, attempt […]

Trump Was ‘Not Particularly Interested’ In Freeing Paul Whelan: Ex-WH Official

Former President Donald Trump was “not particularly interested” in freeing former Marine Paul Whelan from a Russian prison while he was in office, a former White House national security official said Sunday following incendiary complaints by Trump that more hasn’t been done for Whelan. “I also have to say here that President Trump wasn’t especially […]

Congress struggles to reach funding deal as conservatives push to torpedo it

Congressional leaders and the White House are struggling to reach a deal on a massive government funding package, warning that they almost certainly will need to pass a short-term measure to avert a shutdown at the end of the week.  Lawmakers had hoped to wrap up their work in the lame duck session by Friday […]

The Rude Pundit: In 2022, Republicans Tried to F*** Everyone But Ended Up F***ing Themselves

The end of an election cycle leaves us with myriad questions: Who got fucked? Who did the fucking? Who fucked up? My favorite question is one that can be agonizing if you’re asking it about your own side, but it’s delicious when you’re asking it about your opponents. “Who fucked themselves?” implies that a strategy […]

SMHH VideoCast with Margaret Cho – 12-9-22

StephCast F 12-9-22

Sinema leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, she told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive TV interview. “I’ve registered as an Arizona independent. I know some people might be a little bit surprised by this, but actually, I think it makes a lot of sense,” Sinema said […]

Brittney Griner Is Headed to San Antonio After Prisoner Swap

Brittney Griner was expected to arrive back in the United States early Friday after her release was secured in a swap with a convicted Russian arms dealer, putting an end to her 10 months of captivity in Russia that became a geopolitical bargaining chip between Washington and Moscow. Ms. Griner will probably head to the […]

Florida legislator who sponsored ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law resigns amid Covid-relief fraud charges

The Florida state representative who sponsored legislation opponents dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill resigned Thursday, a day after he was accused of fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars from a federal Covid-relief program. State Rep. Joseph Harding, a Republican, said his resignation would be “effective immediately.” He has been indicted on a slew of charges, […]

House passes bill to protect same-sex marriage, sending it to Biden’s desk

The House passed legislation Thursday that would enshrine federal protections for marriages of same-sex and interracial couples. The vote of 258-169 sends the Respect for Marriage Act to President Joe Biden, who praised Congress for passing the bill and is expected to sign it into law. The Senate passed the bill last week by a […]

StephCast Th 12-8-22

Republicans Begin To Point Finger At Trump After Disappointing Georgia Election

Some Republicans attributed their party’s losses in the 2022 midterm elections, including most recently in Georgia’s Senate runoff election, to former President Donald Trump and his baseless claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. “His obsession with the 2020 election became an albatross and a real liability for people who are running, especially […]

Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Fringe Election Theory That Could Upend American Democracy

The justices on the Supreme Court appeared split Wednesday over whether to back a fringe theory that would upend election and redistricting law in every state. The court heard arguments in the case of Moore v. Harper, which involves the independent state legislature theory. It holds that state legislatures were unbound by state constitutions and […]

Legislator behind Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law is accused of Covid-relief fraud

The Florida legislator who sponsored legislation critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was accused of illegally obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in Covid-relief funds, authorities said Wednesday. Joseph Harding, 35, was indicted on six counts of wire fraud, money laundering, making false statements and other crimes, the U.S. attorney’s office for Northern Florida […]

Additional items marked classified found in Trump storage unit

A search for documents carried out at the behest of former President Donald Trump’s attorneys turned up two documents with classified markings at a Florida storage facility, two people familiar with the documents told NBC News. The documents were found recently in a facility not far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and were turned over to […]

StephCast W 12-7-22

Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenas local officials in Trump investigation

Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed local officials in key presidential swing states for any and all communications involving former President Donald Trump, his campaign and a series of aides and allies who assisted in his effort to overturn the 2020 election. Subpoenas were issued to top elections officials in Wayne County, Michigan; Milwaukee and […]

Jan. 6 committee chair expects panel to issue criminal referrals to DOJ

The chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., expects the panel to make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice, he told reporters Tuesday. “We have made decisions on criminal referrals,” Thompson said.  Thompson said the panel has yet to formalize its decision. He also declined to say which individuals would […]

Jury finds Trump Organization guilty of tax fraud scheme

A jury in New York on Tuesday found the Trump Organization guilty of all charges in a sweeping, 15-year tax fraud scheme that prosecutors said was orchestrated by top executives at the company. Jurors deliberated for just over a day before returning the guilty verdicts on a total of 17 counts, including scheme to defraud, […]

Democratic Sen. Warnock defeats Republican Walker in Georgia runoff

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican football star Herschel Walker on Tuesday in Georgia’s Senate runoff election, NBC News projects, handing President Joe Biden and his party a key win. Warnock’s victory will give Democrats an outright majority in the Senate after two years under a 50-50 divide, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking […]

StephCast T 12-06-22

GOP leaders silent so far on Trump’s call for ‘termination’ of Constitution’s rules

The White House on Monday and some Republicans in Congress condemned former President Donald Trump’s call for “termination” of the Constitution’s rules — while GOP congressional leaders kept silent on Trump’s comment and Democrats demanded Republicans rebuke him. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, asked about Trump’s comment, said she wanted to be “careful” about […]

Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti, onetime opponent of Donald Trump, sentenced to 14 years in fraud case

Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced on Monday to 14 years in federal prison for defrauding his clients and for obstructing IRS efforts to collect payroll taxes from his coffee business. He was also ordered to pay $7 million in restitution. The sentence will run consecutively with his combined five-year sentence in New York for […]

Supreme Court leans toward web designer over refusal to work on same-sex weddings

Conservative Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared sympathetic toward an evangelical Christian web designer’s bid to avoid working on same-sex weddings as they weighed the latest clash between religious conservatives and LGBTQ rights. But after two-and-a-half hours of arguments that included a broad array of tough hypothetical questions directed at both sides, involving far-fetched scenarios […]

Warnock gains early voting edge as both candidates barnstorm Georgia in final day before Senate runoff

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has built up an advantage in Georgia’s record-breaking early vote, putting Republican Herschel Walker in a position where he’ll need to deliver big on Election Day to win in Tuesday’s Senate runoff. Georgians have been bombarded with TV ads, radio messages, direct mail and ceaseless fundraising appeals in the closely watched […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump Throws the Constitution Under the Bus for Election Lies

Physicians who work with Alzheimer’s patients call it an “amyloid cascade”; or they used to, when everyone but a couple of mavericks believed that deposits of beta-amyloid protein the the brain caused the disease, a long-held hypothesis that is now undergoing long-overdue reconsideration. Anyway, an amyloid “cascade” describes when a relatively stable AD patient suddenly suffers a […]

StephCast M 12-5-22

Paul Pelosi attends Kennedy Center Honors in first public appearance since home attack

Paul Pelosi and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night, marking Paul Pelosi’s first public appearance since he was attacked in his San Francisco home in October. The couple attended the annual ceremony, which honors a select group of people every year for their artistic influences on American culture, along with […]

Supreme Court today confronts case pitting free speech against LGBTQ rights

When the Supreme Court convenes for oral arguments Monday, it will be confronted with an issue it has been asked to resolve before in court fights involving bakers, a florist, and now, a web designer. And with the latest case before it, brought by graphic designer Lorie Smith, Colorado is once again the battleground in […]

Georgia breaks early voting record again in Senate runoff

Georgians swarmed to the polls on the last day of early voting before next week’s Senate runoff, setting a new record for single-day early in-person turnout. At least 352,953 people voted in person on Friday, bringing the total number of votes, either in person or absentee, to over 1.8 million. That number represents 26.4% of […]

Top Republicans stay silent on Trump’s call to terminate the Constitution

Top Republicans have stayed silent as the White House strongly criticized former President Donald Trump for suggesting that the Constitution be terminated in his ongoing efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In a post to his Truth Social platform Saturday, Trump called for the termination of the Constitution to put him back […]

SMHH VideoCast with Hal Sparks – 12-2-22

StephCast F 12-2-22

Closing arguments get underway in the Trump Organization’s tax fraud trial

Closing arguments began Thursday in the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization, which is accused of a sweeping 15-year schemeto compensate top executives of former President Donald Trump’s company off the books. The defense began by recapping testimony from the prosecution’s star witness in the criminal trial, former company chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, […]

Arizona county that balked at certifying election results finalizes tally after court order

A Republican-led county in Arizona that flouted a statutory deadlinefor election certification ended up certifying its results Thursday shortly after a judge ordered officials there to take action. Officials in Cochise County voted 2-0 to accept the results of the Nov. 8 election, enabling statewide certification to move forward Monday. Ann English, the sole Democrat […]

Senate votes to avert rail strike, sends the legislation to Biden for his signature

The Senate passed legislation Thursday to avoid an economically catastrophic rail strike one day after the House approved the measure. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said he “will sign the bill into law.” He had pleaded with Congress to act swiftly, warning of major harm to supply chains that could disrupt supplies […]

Federal Court Halts Mar-a-Lago Special Master Review In Blow To Trump

A federal appeals court on Thursday ended an independent review of documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, removing a hurdle the Justice Department said had delayed its criminal investigation into the retention of top-secret government information. The decision by the three-judge panel represents a significant win for federal prosecutors, clearing the way […]

StephCast Th 12-1-22

Hakeem Jeffries Elected To Lead House Dems’ Next Generation

Emboldened House Democrats ushered in a new generation of leaders on Wednesday with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries elected to be the first Black American to head a major political party in Congress as long-serving Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team step aside next year. Showing rare party unity after their midterm election losses, the House Democrats […]

Jan. 6 committee to release transcripts of interviews along with report, expected before Christmas, Thompson says

The House Jan. 6 committee will release transcripts of interviews investigators conducted in their investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the panel’s chairman, Bennie Thompson, said Wednesday. “We plan to make available transcripts and other materials,” Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters on Capitol Hill. He later confirmed that the panel had finished all of […]

Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter, dies at 79

Christine McVie, the English musician whose smoky vocals and romantic lyrics helped catapult the rock group Fleetwood Mac to international success, died Wednesday, the band and her family announced on social media. She was 79. “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie,” the group said in a statement […]

Trump’s tax returns now in the hands of House Ways-And-Means after lengthy court battle

A Democratic-led House committee now has access to six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns after a multiyear court fight. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that it had complied with last week’s Supreme Court decision that paved the way for the returns to be handed over to the House Ways and Means Committee. […]

StephCast W 11-30-22

Biden rallies lawmakers to act to avert rail strike ahead of looming deadline

President Joe Biden stepped up calls for Congress to avert a looming rail strike in a meeting at the White House with top lawmakers Tuesday, warning that the economy was at risk if they failed to act in the next few days. Talks between railway workers and their employers appear to have stalled, making the […]

McConnell after Trump-Fuentes dinner: Anyone meeting with antisemites ‘unlikely to ever be elected president’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appeared to take aim at former President Donald Trump on Tuesday over his decision to host Ye and white supremacist Nick Fuentes for dinner last week at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Flanked by other top Republicans, the GOP’s Senate leader opened his weekly news conference by saying: “First, […]

Senate passes bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage over GOP opposition

The Senate passed landmark legislation Tuesday that would codify federal protection for marriages of same-sex and interracial couples, with Democrats securing enough votes to overcome opposition from most Republicans. The Respect for Marriage Act was approved 61-36, with support from all Democrats and 12 GOP votes, after a filibuster was defeated and three amendments offered […]

Two Oath Keepers, including founder, convicted of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case

A federal jury in Washington on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a victory for the government in a case that involved a rarely used Civil War era statute. Three […]

StephCast T 11-29-22

StephCast M 11-28-22

Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Sarah Palin in race for Alaska’s at-large House seat

Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola has won a full two-year term representing Alaska in the House, NBC News projected Wednesday, defeating former governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Peltola made history in August when she became the first Alaska Native seated in Congress after she won the special election to replace longtime GOP Rep. […]

Biden says he’ll renew push for assault weapons ban following spate of mass shootings

President Joe Biden said Thursday he would make a renewed effort to enact a ban on assault-style rifles following a wave of mass shootings that have again put a spotlight on the nation’s gun laws. Speaking to reporters during a visit to a fire station on Thanksgiving morning, the president reiterated his long-standing argument that […]

StephCast W 11-23-22

StephCast T 11-22-22

StephCast M 11-21-22

Who is Jack Smith, the special counsel named in the Trump investigations

Jack Smith, the special counsel announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday to oversee the criminal investigations into the retention of classified documents at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and parts of the January 6, 2021, insurrection, is a long-time prosecutor who has overseen a variety of high-profile cases during a career that […]

Lawmakers Urge Action After Report Of Other Supreme Court Leak

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said his panel is reviewing “serious allegations” in a report that a former anti-abortion leader knew in advance the outcome of a 2014 Supreme Court case involving health care coverage of contraception. The report Saturday in The New York Times followed the stunning leak earlier this year of […]

Schiff contends Republican House majority will ‘be chaos’ with a ‘very weak leader’

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday said he expects the incoming Republican majority will give in to its “lowest common denominator” members by pursuing decisions like removing him from his committee assignments. In an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” Schiff was asked by co-anchor Jonathon Karl about GOP […]

Colorado club shooting updates: Suspect named after 5 dead, dozens injured at LGBTQ nightclub

Five people were killed and dozens others were injured in a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado, officials said. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, allegedly began shooting as soon as he walked into Club Q in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez told reporters during a […]

SMHH Video Podcast with Kathleen Madigan 11-18-22

StephCast F 11-18-22 – new

Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg takes the stand in criminal case against company

A longtime executive at the Trump Organization took the witness stand Tuesday for the first time to testify against his employer in a criminal tax fraud case against the company, telling jurors that Donald Trump had been aware of the unusual pay structure for high-level employees. Former Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, prosecutors’ star witness […]

House Republicans plan investigations and possible impeachments with new majority

House Republicans’ majority will be smaller than expected, but they’re eager to use their new oversight powers and pass a spate of bills to draw contrasts with Democrats and give the Biden administration heartburn. In this moment of divided government and fierce partisanship, it’s perhaps appropriate that the GOP conference is expected to be led […]

Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House, says she’ll step down as Democratic leader

Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House, who helped shape many of the most consequential laws of the early 21st century, said Thursday that she will step down after two decades as the Democratic Party’s leader in the chamber. “With great confidence in our caucus I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership […]

Twitter to temporarily close offices amid wave of new resignations after Musk’s ultimatum

Twitter said it would be closing all its offices until Monday, according to an email shared by a departing employee, after a new wave of employees resigned when Elon Musk issued an ultimatum telling them they would need to be willing to commit to a “hardcore” work environment. “Please continue to comply with company policy […]

StephCast Th 11-17-22

Pelosi plans to address her future in Congress on Thursday

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., plans to address her future in Congress to her colleagues on Thursday, according to her spokesperson. “@SpeakerPelosi has been overwhelmed by calls from colleagues, friends and supporters. This evening, the Speaker monitored returns in the three remaining critical states. The Speaker plans to address her future plans tomorrow to her […]

Rep. Karen Bass becomes first woman elected mayor of Los Angeles

Democratic Rep. Karen Bass has been elected mayor of Los Angeles, NBC News projected Wednesday, making her the first woman to hold the role. Bass defeated Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer who was endorsed by Elon Musk, in a tight race to replace Democrat Eric Garcetti. The race was nonpartisan; both Bass and […]

Republicans win control of the House, overtaking Democrats by a slim margin

Republicans have won control of the House, NBC News projected Wednesday, handing President Joe Biden a divided Congress after Democrats kept control of the Senate in last week’s midterm elections. Republicans finally cemented their takeover a week after polls closed on Election Day, fueled by Democrats’ surprising strength around the country. Republicans had hopes of […]

StephCast W 11-16-22

Kevin McCarthy wins GOP nomination for House speaker

House Republicans nominated Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the current minority leader, as their candidate for speaker of the House on Tuesday, with McCarthy overcoming a conservative challenger as the party inches closer to winning control of the lower chamber. McCarthy was tapped as the nominee in an internal meeting of the Republican conference by a secret-ballot […]

Poland calls missile that killed 2 ‘Russian-made’; Biden says it’s ‘unlikely’ it was fired from Russia

The Polish government said a Russian-made missile killed two of its citizens Tuesday near the border with Ukraine, but U.S. President Joe Biden said that it was “unlikely” that it was launched from Russia. Polish leaders convened an emergency security and defense meeting and agreed to increase its military readiness. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau […]

Sen. Rick Scott will challenge McConnell for top Senate GOP leadership post

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Tuesday announced a challenge to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for the top Republican leadership job in the Senate. “The status quo is broken and big change is needed,” Scott said in a tweet. “It’s time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative agenda. […]

Trump, whose lies about the 2020 election inspired an insurrection, announces third White House bid with rambling, low-energy speech

Donald Trump, the only president impeached twice, launched a campaign to reclaim the Oval Office on Tuesday, two years after voters ousted him and a week after they rejected his hand-picked candidates in several pivotal Senate races. “America’s comeback starts right now,” Trump said from the ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago resort, where he was joined […]

StephCast T 11-15-22

Trump D.C. hotel receipts reveal $10,500-a-night rooms for foreign officials seeking to influence U.S. policy

During Donald Trump’s presidency, the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, China and Malaysia spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at Trump International Hotel in Washington at the same time they were trying to influence U.S. foreign policy, according to investigative findings released Monday by the House Oversight and Reform Committee. […]

Partisan control of the House remains unknown with 14 races uncalled

Races for more than a dozen House seats remained uncalled as of Monday night, leaving political control of the chamber unknown nearly a week after voting in the 2022 midterms general election cycle concluded. Most of the 14 House seats that NBC News has not called are in California. So far, Democrats have been elected […]

Conservatives warn McCarthy: You don’t have the votes for speaker

Conservative lawmakers sent a strong message to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday, telling him he doesn’t have the votes to be the next speaker. The warning shot came just one day before McCarthy heads into a closed-door election seeking to become his party’s nominee for speaker of the House starting in January. The […]

Democrat Katie Hobbs defeats MAGA favorite Kari Lake in high-stakes race for governor in Arizona

Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has defeated Republican Kari Lake in Arizona’s race for governor, NBC News projected Monday. Hobbs’ victory is key for Democrats in a presidential battleground state and a rebuke to a prominent election denier — although the closeness of the contest left the result up in the air for nearly […]

Charlie Pierce: Can Joe Biden Save America’s Soul?

It was a cold and windy February day in South Carolina. Pundits doing live shots in the parking lot of the bar were wearing blankets over the lower third of their bodies, just out of frame. A Democratic presidential primary was going on, and if there was a general consensus, it was that Joe Biden’s […]

StephCast M 11-14-22

Biden Takes Victory Lap Overseas On Dems Taking Senate But Notes ‘It’s Always Better With 51’

President Joe Biden took a victory lap in Cambodia over the Democrats taking control of the Senate again in the midterms, but noted a victory in the Georgia runoff is still crucial. Shortly after Democrats ensured 50-seat control with the victory of Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto, President Biden emerged to speak briefly with reporters at the […]

Democrats Sweep GOP Election Deniers In Battleground Races For Secretary Of State

Republican election deniers used the 2022 midterms to target battleground positions for secretary of state that would allow them to take over key electoral systems and turn the “big lie” into official election protocols. They completely failed. The Associated Press has projected that Democrat Cisco Aguilar will defeat Republican election denier Jim Marchant in Nevada’s […]

Democrats retain control of Senate with victory in Nevada

Democrats will continue to control the Senate following the 2022 midterm elections, after Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on Saturday was projected by CBS News to win a tight reelection race against Republican Adam Laxalt. In a speech Sunday, Cortez Masto said when “national pundits said I couldn’t win, I knew Nevada would prove them […]

Trump sues Jan. 6 committee to block subpoena for documents, testimony

Former President Trump has sued to block the Jan. 6. committee subpoena for documents and testimony. The committee last Friday extended the deadline for Trump to comply with their documents request by one week. The initial deadline was Nov. 4. The committee also asked Trump to appear for a deposition on Monday, Nov. 14. As […]

The Rude Pundit: Blaming Trump Lets Republicans Off the Hook (and Other Observations on a Pretty Good Election)

(Started writing this early in the week, but because Covid is still a thing, I’ve been back in Louisiana with to see a sick, hospitalized family member. Things are looking good now, but it was dicey. Get vaccinated. Wear masks. Do the shit you need to do.) In the wake of Republicans having their raging […]

SMHH VideoCast with Jen Kirkman & Victor Shi 11-11-22

StephCast F 11-11-22

Alex Jones ordered to pay an additional $473 million to Sandy Hook families

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company were ordered Thursday to pay an additional $473 million in punitive damages to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre over promoting the falsehood that the 2012 school shooting was a hoax. The order is part of a Connecticut lawsuit brought against Jones and his company […]

Kevin McCarthy’s bid to be House speaker is in jeopardy

In 2015, bomb-throwers in the House Freedom Caucus derailed Kevin McCarthy’s quest to become speaker. Seven years later, members of the ultraconservative, Trump-aligned group are once again causing major headaches for McCarthy as the California Republican makes another run for the top job. NBC News has not yet projected which party will control the House, […]

Democrats Pad Narrow Leads In Arizona Senate, Governor Races

Democrats padded their narrow leads in key Arizona contests on Thursday, but the races for U.S. Senate and attorney general were still too early to call with about a fifth of the total ballots left to be counted. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly led Republican Blake Masters by 5.6 percentage points, while Democrat Katie Hobbs had […]

Trump Unleashes On ‘Average’ DeSantis After Florida Gov. Cruises To Victory

Former President Donald Trump issued a blistering tirade against newly reelected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday, calling the potential presidential nominee an “average” governor with “great public relations.” “Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017 — he was politically dead, losing in a landslide,” Trump said in a statement. “Ron had […]

StephCast Th 11-10-22

Control Of Congress Unclear With Many Races Still Up For Grabs

Americans will have to wait to learn whether Democrats will maintain control of the House and Senate, allowing President Joe Biden to continue to enact policy and appoint judges, or whether Republicans will receive a majority in either chamber to block his agenda. Votes were still being counted in the Arizona and Nevada Senate races […]

2022 Georgia Senate race: Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker headed for a runoff

The closely-watched race for the U.S. Senate in Georgia between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will head to a runoff election, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday afternoon. “Ballots are being built as we speak, and counties are making preparations,” Raffensperger told reporters. There was a third-party candidate […]

Biden says midterm voters sent an ‘unmistakable message’ about democracy and abortion rights

President Joe Biden on Wednesday celebrated midterm electionresults that he said defied expectations for the Democratic Party, arguing that the country is on the “right path” under his leadership and that his policy agenda is delivering results. Biden said at the White House that voters “sent a clear and unmistakable message” about issues such as […]

StephCast W 11-9-22

Kari Lake or Katie Hobbs? Hobbs’ lead in Arizona’s race for governor narrows

Katie Hobbs leads Kari Lake by thousands of votes, but it could still be a few days before all ballots are counted.     PHOENIX — Arizona’s race for governor has come down to a tight struggle between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs. As of 2:00 a.m, the lead is narrowing.  Read the […]

J.D. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects

J.D. Vance, the “Hillbilly Elegy” author who was a searing Donald Trump critic before he converted into one of his most loyal allies, has defeated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio’s Senate race, NBC News projects. Vance will succeed fellow Republican Rob Portman, who did not seek re-election. Unlike Portman, Vance has advanced unsubstantiated theories […]

John Fetterman wins Pa. Senate race, defeating celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz and flipping key state for Democrats

John Fetterman, the state lieutenant governor, has won Pennsylvania’s high-voltage race for an open Senate seat, defeating celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz, bringing an end to one of the nastiest and most expensive campaigns of the year as both parties treated it as a potential tipping point for control of the chamber. Fetterman will succeed […]

CONTROL OF CONGRESS UNCERTAIN AS DEMS DODGE A ‘REPUBLICAN WAVE’

A deeply divided American electorate delivered a Congress so evenly split that partisan control remained unknown Wednesday morning — and may for some time — after Republican hopes for a major “red wave” dissipated. Hours after polls closed, dozens of critical House and Senate races remained too close to call. It could be weeks before […]

StephCast T 11-8-22

Stewart Rhodes says fellow Oath Keepers were ‘stupid’ to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes told jurors at his seditious conspiracy trial Monday that other members of the far-right group who stormed the U.S. Capitol were “off-mission” and insisted he was not engaged in any operation to forcefully oppose the federal government on Jan. 6. “I had no idea that any Oath Keeper was even […]

Powerball jackpot up to a dizzying, world record $1.9B as drawing delayed again

Americans are once again playing a waiting game in early November after Monday night’s Powerball drawing with a historic $1.9 billion jackpot was delayed. Many had waited on tenterhooks for Monday’s result, only to learn that the drawing would be delayed, with the Multi-State Lottery Association saying it had one participating lottery that needed additional […]

Legal fight explodes in Pennsylvania over mail-in ballots

On the eve of Election Day, a legal battle has erupted in one of the most closely watched battleground states of the 2022 midterms. Democrats sued Monday demanding that undated or incorrectly dated mail-in ballots be counted in Pennsylvania’s election, which could end up determining which party controls the Senate. The lawsuit, filed in part […]

Election Day Dawns, Shadowed by Threats to Democracy

After a long and chaotic campaign, Election Day is finally here. The consequential election could shift the balance of power in Congress and determine the fate of President Biden’s agenda, as well as legislation on abortion, immigration and crime. Also up for grabs are contests for state houses and governor’s mansions with major implications for […]

Charlie Pierce: This Time the Robber Barons Came for Democracy

When I was living and going to school in Milwaukee back in the early 1970s, Uihlein was one of those names that seemed always to be in the atmosphere, in which, I might add, it shared space with yeast and hops and the sweet, enveloping aroma of the Ambrosia Chocolate Company. On hot summer days, […]

StephCast M 11-7-22

Trump considered announcing 2024 presidential run at Oz-Mastriano rally

According to a source familiar with the discussions and in frequent communication with former President Trump, Mr. Trump considered Saturday’s rally in Pennsylvania as a backdrop to announce a run for President in 2024.  This source said his advisers urged him not to, saying it could take attention away from the candidates on the ballot […]

Obama and Trump battle over western Pennsylvania with dueling rallies in a final midterm push for the critical state

Two former presidents duked it out with dueling rallies Saturday across western Pennsylvania, where they stumped for Senate candidates locked in one of the most consequential races of the cycle and offered wildly different visions of America as the final midterm fight centers on the Keystone State. Around noon, Barack Obama rallied with Lt. Gov. […]

A Basic Guide to the U.S. Midterm Elections

If you are broadly aware that the upcoming midterm elections in the United States have major global implications, but you’re not up to speed on the American system of government or you’re having trouble following along, you’re in the right place. In the United States’ two-party system, control of two crucial bodies of government — […]

Comedian Kathy Griffin suspended from Twitter after mocking CEO Elon Musk

Comedian Kathy Griffin’s Twitter account was suspended Sunday, the same day she changed her page’s title to “Elon Musk” and mocked the new CEO. It wasn’t clear whether the suspension was permanent or a direct result of her mockery. It came as Musk announced that accounts that impersonate celebrities and other notables would be prohibited […]

The Rude Pundit: Barack Obama Calls Crazy “Crazy” and We Need More of That

We needed Barack Obama to lay it all out for us: “Imagine if you hire your plumber. You’ve got an overflowing toilet. It’s a problem,” he said during a rally in Michigan. “[The plumber] comes in and, you know, you’re waiting for the toilet to be fixed. He starts, ‘Have you heard about the latest conspiracy of […]

SMHH VideoCast with Kimberley Johnson & Ali Velshi 11-4-22

StephCast F 11-4-22

Judge grants independent monitor to oversee Trump Organization, in major victory for NY AG

A New York judge has approved a preliminary injunction and an independent monitor to oversee the Trump Organization in an order that follows several hours of oral arguments Thursday. The judge chided the Trump defense team for failing to submit “an iota of evidence” that would rebut the New York attorney general’s allegations of “comprehensive […]

Biden puts economic record front and center at New Mexico midterms rally

President Joe Biden gave a forceful defense of his economic record Thursday at a rally in the final days before the midterm elections, warning that Republicans are backing policies that would gut the social safety net families need for retirement and health care. Speaking at a campaign event for Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Biden […]

Paul Pelosi Released From Hospital After Being Attacked At San Francisco Home

Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was released from the hospital Thursday, six days after an assailant broke into their San Francisco home and struck him in the head with a hammer, her office said. “The Pelosi family is thankful for the beautiful outpouring of love, support and prayers from around […]

Oprah Throws Support Behind Fetterman In Pennsylvania Senate Race, Abandoning Oz

Oprah Winfrey threw her support behind Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman in his race for a U.S. Senate seat on Thursday, a major loss for his Republican competitor, Mehmet Oz. Winfrey made the comments during a virtual voting event with community leaders Thursday, part of her OWN Your Vote initiative to encourage Black women to participate […]

StephCast Th 11-3-22

Parkland school shooter sentenced to life in prison without parole after emotional victims’ statements

A Florida judge formally sentenced Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz to life in prison without parole Wednesday for the 2018 campus massacre that killed 14 students and three staff members. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer followed the jury’s recommendation to spare Cruz, 24, the death penalty, instead sentencing him to a lifetime behind bars. Last month, […]

Capitol Police had a camera feed of Pelosi’s home during attack, but no one was monitoring it

U.S. Capitol Police had a camera feed showing the outside of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., home in San Francisco during the attack on her husband Friday, but no one was monitoring it at the time, two sources familiar with the situation said. The camera is one of about 1,800 at the Capitol complex and […]

Bedeviled by high inflation, Federal Reserve hikes interest rate by 0.75% again

Battling inflation that remains at four-decade highs, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday it hiked its key interest rate by another 0.75%. “Inflation remains elevated, reflecting supply and demand imbalances related to the pandemic, higher food and energy prices, and broader price pressures,” the Fed said in its statement Wednesday. It added it is “strongly committed […]

Biden calls midterms a ‘defining moment’ for democracy amid political violence and voter intimidation

President Joe Biden said Wednesday the midterms are a “defining moment” for democracy as threats of political violence and voter intimidation loom over the upcoming elections. In closing remarks days before the midterms, Biden again called election deniers an existential threat to democracy, tying the Jan. 6 insurrection to last week’s attack on Paul Pelosi. […]

StephCast W 11-2-22

Brazil’s Bolsonaro doesn’t concede election but authorizes transition

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday did not concede the election he lost to leftist Lula da Silva in a brief speech that marked his first comments since results were released two days ago. But afterward, Chief-of-Staff Ciro Nogueira told reporters that Bolsonaro has authorized him to begin the transition process. Bolsonaro’s address didn’t mention […]

Supreme Court declines to block subpoena of Lindsey Graham in Georgia election probe

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to quash a grand jury subpoena in a Georgia prosecutor’s probe of allegations of interference in the 2020 presidential election. The decision is a victory for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office is investigating phone calls Graham made to Georgia […]

Suspect in Paul Pelosi attack allegedly told police he was on ‘suicide mission’ with more targets

The man accused of brutally attacking the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told police officers at the scene that he was on “a suicide mission” and had additional targets, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The new details came shortly after California prosecutors charged David DePape, 42, with attempted murder, assault with a […]

StephCast T 11-1-22

Trump asks Supreme Court to block release of tax records to House Democrats

Former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Monday to block a congressional committee from accessing his tax records as a long-running legal battle reaches its final stage. Trump, who, unlike other recent presidents, refused to make his tax returns public amid scrutiny of his business affairs, turned to the justices after an appeals […]

‘Greed and cheating’: Prosecutor outlines tax fraud allegations against Trump Organization

Opening arguments began Monday in the high-profile criminal tax fraud case against the Trump Organization, the former president’s family-run company that helped make him a household name. “This case is about greed and cheating,” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger told jurors in her opening statement about what she alleged was a “clever scheme.” Two corporations that are a […]

Supreme Court leans toward ending affirmative action in college admissions

Conservative Supreme Court justices indicated Monday that they are willing to end the explicit consideration of race in college admissions as they weighed cases challenging affirmative action policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University. Members of the court’s conservative majority questioned the legal rationale for allowing the practice and probed to what […]

Suspect in Paul Pelosi attack planned to break House speaker’s kneecaps, DOJ says in filing charges

State and federal authorities announced criminal charges Monday against the suspect in Friday’s brutal attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., which is alleged to have included plans to break the speaker’s kneecaps. Federal prosecutors charged the suspect, David DePape, 42, with attempted kidnapping and assault with intent to retaliate against a federal […]

Charlie Pierce: Well, America, You Were a Nice Idea While You Lasted

It was this weekend that I finally gave up. I have watched the steady descent of American conservatism—and its primary public vehicle, the Republican Party—into the terminal depths of the prion disease it acquired when Ronald Reagan and Richard Viguerie and Jerry Falwell first fed it the monkey-brains back in the late 1970s when I […]

StephCast M 10-31-22

The Rude Pundit: They Once Blew Up a Classroom Over Textbooks, So, Yeah, There Will Be Violence

In 1974, in West Virginia, protesters used dynamite and Molotov cocktails against the buildings of their enemies. The protesters were upset that the Board of Education of Kanawha County voted to update the textbooks in the district’s language arts classes to include more modern authors in an effort to be more inclusive and multiracial. Kanawha […]

Democrats criticize GOP after attack on Pelosi’s husband: ‘Many people have stayed silent’

Some Democrats criticized Republicans after the assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, accusing their colleagues across the aisle of failing to sufficiently condemn violent rhetoric targeting lawmakers. “Many people have stayed silent during this time — not Liz Cheney, not Adam Kinzinger within their own party,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Sunday on NBC […]

Elon Musk, new owner of Twitter, tweets unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack

Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, tweeted and deleted an unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory Sunday morning about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband from a website that has a history of publishing false information. Musk responded to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she tweeted out a Los Angeles Times story […]

Suspect in Pelosi home invasion attack had zip ties, duct tape: Sources

The suspect arrested in the violent home invasion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco residence and the hammer attack on her 82-year-old husband, was carrying a bag that contained duct tape and zip ties, two law enforcement officials briefed on the probe told ABC News Sunday. Investigators discovered the contents of the bag that […]

Leftist Lula wins Brazil presidential election, ends far-right Bolsonaro era for now

Leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated his bitter rival, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, to secure his return as Brazil’s leader Sunday after a tightly fought race in the world’s fourth-largest democracy. The country’s Superior Electoral Court verified the win. The court said da Silva secured slightly more than 50.84% of the vote, with 99.10% […]

SMHH VideoCast 10-28-22 with Jill Wine-Banks & DNC Chair Jaime Harrison

StephCast F 10-28-22

Jan. 6 rioter who dragged Michael Fanone into crowd sentenced to 7.5 years in prison

A Jan. 6 rioter who dragged former Washington, D.C., Police Officer Michael Fanone into the crowd on the steps of the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison Thursday. Albuquerque Head, 43, of Tennessee, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison, a bit shy of the 96 months prosecutors had requested […]

Federal appeals court denies Trump effort to keep tax records from House committee

A federal appeals court on Thursday denied former President Donald Trump‘s latest attempt to prevent a congressional committee from accessing his tax records. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., denied the effort after a three-judge panel of the court unanimously ruled in August that the House Ways and Means Committee is allowed […]

Elon Musk now leading Twitter, ushering in likely changes to online speech

Elon Musk is now leading Twitter, according to CNBC. Two top Twitter executives, CEO Parag Agrawal and Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, were also out, CNBC reported. Musk first made his $44 billion offer to acquire the social media platform in April, then sought to pull out of the deal weeks later over concerns about […]

StephCast TH 10-27-22

Herschel Walker denies 2nd woman’s claim that he paid for her abortion: ‘Lie’

Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Wednesday denied an unnamed woman’s new claim that in Dallas in 1993 he paid for and strongly encouraged her to have an abortion that she did not want. The woman, only identified as Jane Doe, made her accusation at a video news conference hosted from Los Angeles by her […]

Mark Meadows ordered to testify before grand jury in Georgia election probe

A South Carolina judge ruled Wednesday that Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows must testify before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating possible interference in the 2020 presidential election. At a hearing Wednesday morning, South Carolina Circuit Judge Edward Miller ruled that Meadows must comply with a petition seeking his testimony before […]

StephCast W 10-26-22

Biden Urges Americans To Get Vaccinated Ahead Of Winter COVID-19 Surge

President Joe Biden received the updated COVID-19 vaccine live on television Tuesday, urging Americans to protect themselves against the virus ahead of the anticipated winter surge but stopping short of encouraging mask-wearing. Biden received the latest vaccine targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron strain, the current versions of COVID-19 that are most […]

Hope Hicks, a longtime Trump aide, interviewing with Jan. 6 committee

Hope Hicks, who served as a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, is interviewing with the Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday, a source familiar told NBC News. The Jan. 6 committee declined to provide a comment or any additional details. Hicks did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hicks served in multiple […]

One hour with Fetterman and Oz: Key takeaways from their only debate

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz met Tuesday night for the only debate of what’s become perhaps the most important Senate race in the country this year — one that could determine partisan control of the chamber. Recent independent polling has shown a tight race between Fetterman, the Democratic nominee, and Oz, a […]

StephCast T 10-25-22

Biden delivers midterms pep talk: ‘If we get people out to vote, we win’

President Joe Biden visited the Democratic Party’s Washington headquarters Monday to deliver a pep talk to volunteers just 15 days until the midterms end. “If we get people out to vote, we win,” Biden said as he walked among the volunteers at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters. “We get people out to vote, we win […]

2022 ELECTION Crist to DeSantis: Will you run for president? Florida governor refuses to say in caustic debate

Democrat Charlie Crist came to his first and only debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ready with just one question about his opponent’s political aspirations Monday night. “You’re running for governor,” Crist said, looking at DeSantis as the governor looked forward. “Why don’t you look in the eyes of the people of the state of […]

Justice Clarence Thomas temporarily blocks Lindsey Graham’s testimony in Georgia election interference probe

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily put on hold a requirement that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., testify in a Georgia prosecutor’s probe of allegations of interference in the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and his allies. The decision by Thomas, who handles emergency requests that arise from Georgia, freezes the […]

Charlie Pierce: The GOP Assault on the Vote Is About to Come to a Boil

It’s all coming together in Arizona, and the Supreme Court should be so very proud. Its Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association are fitting so neatly in tandem with its rulings in Shelby County and Brnovich, as the personal right to bear arms dovetails with the increased constitutionality of voter suppression—twin sons from different motherfckers. Read the rest of Charlie Pierce’s piece […]

StephCast M 10-24-22

Jury selection to begin in Trump Organization fraud trial

Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump’snamesake family real-estate business, which was charged last year by prosecutors in Manhattan with orchestrating a years-long scheme to evade taxes. The Trump Organization compensated certain executives with off-the-book perks — including rent, utilities and garage expenses at a luxury […]

Student debt relief ‘moving full speed ahead’ despite GOP-led lawsuits, education secretary says

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the Biden administration is “moving full speed ahead” preparing to implement its federal student debt forgiveness program, a day after a federal appeals courthit pause on the administration’s efforts. Cardona said in a video posted Saturday that the administration is “not deterred” by lawsuits that seek to block its relief […]

Jan. 6 panel will not rule out taking live testimony from Trump, Cheney says

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Sunday did not rule out the possibility of the House Jan. 6 committee’s taking live televised testimony from former President Donald Trump. Trump has not publicly indicated how he would respond to the subpoena the committee issued Friday for his testimony and documents. Asked whether the committee is open to […]

The Rude Pundit: The Questions Republican Candidates Aren’t Being Asked Enough (or At All)

We know that if Republicans win back even one house of Congress, the whole place will become a nightmare of masturbating clowns, all cackling wildly as they rub and tug their greasepainted genitals to a screaming spurt and then declare they’re ride-or-die Americans just engaged in old-fashioned horseplay to own the libs. Unfortunately, not enough […]

SMHH VideoCast with Joel Stein & Michael Cohen 10-21-22

StephCast F 10-21-22

You Can Still Watch Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal “Save Democracy” Tour on Pay-Per-View!!

The Sexy Liberals and special guests Rob Reiner and Glenn Kirschner were LIVE at Los Angeles’ historic Saban Theater for the last performance of the year! And you can still watch it streaming Live on Pay Per View as many times as you want until the end of the year! This is not hyperbole; sluggish […]

What to know about Friday’s sentencing of Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress

Steve Bannon, the ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump, will be sentenced on Friday for his criminal contempt of Congress after defying of a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection. The sentencing will unfold in a federal courtroom in Washington, DC. Judge Carl Nichols – a Trump appointee – will […]

Justice Amy Coney Barrett denies attempt to block Biden student loan forgiveness plan from taking effect

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected a challenge to the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program on Thursday, declining to take up an appeal brought by a Wisconsin taxpayers group. The order is a win for President Joe Biden for now, though there are other challenges in the pipeline making their way up to […]

Appeals court orders Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in Georgia election probe

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., must testify before a Georgia grand jury examining possible election interference in the state two years ago. The ruling is a win for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and comes the same day NBC News confirmed that Trump White House counsel Pat […]

StephCast Th 10-20-22

Biden announces sale of 15 million barrels of reserve oil

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he would authorize the sale of more oil from the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve as his administration scrambles to rein in high gas prices before the midterm elections. Speaking at the White House, Biden said the Energy Department would sell the remaining 15 million barrels of the 180 million […]

Omicron subvariants reflect a ‘viral evolution on steroids’

An omicron subvariant is once again demonstrating immune-dodging abilities, posing a threat to both vaccinated and previously infected individuals. A report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the subvariant, called BA.4.6, could drive reinfections. As of Friday, BA.4.6 accounted for just over 12% of new Covid casesin the U.S. BA.5, […]

Oath Keeper testifies he was ready to die on Jan. 6 to keep Trump in office

A member of the far-right Oath Keepers who stormed the U.S. Capitol testified that he was ready to fight to keep President Donald Trump in office and was preparing himself in the weeks before Jan. 6, 2021, to say goodbye to his family, he testified in a seditious conspiracy trial Tuesday. Jason Dolan, 46, a […]

Trump signed legal documents that he knew included false voter fraud numbers, judge says

Former president Donald Trump and his political allies understood that their allegations of widespread voter fraud in Georgia were baseless but continued to push the unfounded claims in courts and the public, according to recent federal court filings. The revelations came in an 18-page opinion Wednesday over Trump ally and conservative lawyer John Eastman’s resistance […]

StephCast W 10-19-22

Trump Special Master Says He Has ‘No Patience’ for Records Spats

The special master reviewing documents seized from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate warned the former president’s lawyers that their initial efforts to claim certain records were personal and not presidential might be lacking enough detail. “Where’s the beef? I need some beef,” US District Senior Judge Raymond Dearie told the attorneys during a telephone status hearing […]

Former Oath Keeper Says Militia Planned to Use ‘Any Means Necessary’ on Jan. 6

A former member of the Oath Keepers militia testified on Tuesday that the far-right group intended to block the certification of the 2020 election “by any means necessary,” stashing weapons in a hotel in Virginia on Jan. 6, 2021, in anticipation of supporting President Donald J. Trump in his bid to keep Joseph R. Biden […]

Police Videos Show Shock and Fear as DeSantis Begins Arrests For Alleged Voter Fraud: ‘I Voted But I Didn’t Commit No Fraud’

The Tampa Bay Times published video of several Floridians being arrested for voter fraud as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s new Office of Election Crimes and Security crackdown. The arrests of 20 people took place on August 18th, hours before DeSantis called a press conference to boast of the crackdown, declaring, “They’re going to pay […]

Biden vows to push abortion rights bill if Democrats keep control of Congress

President Joe Biden pledged Tuesday to push for an abortion rightsbill if Democrats keep control of Congress in the November midterm elections. Speaking at a Democratic National Committee event in Washington, Biden said that if Democrats both hold the House and add seats to their Senate majority, he would offer make a bill to codify […]

StephCast T 10-18-22

Debating once again, Kemp and Abrams paint drastically different pictures of Georgia

Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams faced off on Monday, laying out drastically different views of the state ahead of their rematch at the polls. The debate, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club, allowed both candidates to detail their platforms, which focused on the state’s economy, crime and voting rights. Kemp […]

Tim Ryan and J.D. Vance attack each other over ‘great replacement’ theory in final Ohio Senate debate

The already hostile Senate race in Ohioturned even nastier Monday as Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan and Republican J.D. Vance clashed over racist rhetoric and lobbed personal insults. At their final debate before the Nov. 8 election, tensions ran highest toward the end of their hour onstage, when one of the moderators asked the candidates about […]

Biden administration officially opens application for student debt cancellation

President Joe Biden announced Monday that the online application to cancel federal student debt is available. The form — which can be found at StudentAid.gov — is available in English and Spanish, and it is accessible on both mobile and desktop devices. The form asks for people’s dates of birth, Social Security numbers and contact […]

Trump Organization charged Secret Service as much as $1,185 per night to stay at Trump properties

During Donald Trump’s presidency, Trump hotels charged the Secret Service as much as $1,185 per night, more than five times the recommended government rate, and the high rates continued after he left office, according to an investigation released Monday by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Beginning in January 2017 through Sept. 15, 2021, […]

Charlie Pierce: America Has a Long History of Fumbling Its Democracy

I shouldn’t be dreading Election Day the way I am. Or at least not for the reasons for which I’m dreading it. I have dreaded Election Days before, but I dreaded them because I dreaded the outcome—the traditional American reason for dreading Election Days. And for the most part, the Election Days I dreaded for […]

StephCast M 10-17-22

StephCast M 10-17-22

U.S. Asks Court to End Special Master Review of Files Seized From Trump

The Justice Department asked an appeals court on Friday to end a special master review of thousands of documents that the F.B.I. seized from former President Donald J. Trump’s Florida estate, arguing that a federal judge had been wrong to intervene in its investigation into Mr. Trump’s hoarding of sensitive government records. In a 53-page […]

Herschel Walker defends use of ‘honorary’ sheriff’s badge in Georgia Senate debate

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker defended pulling out a sheriff’s badge during Friday’s closely watched debate in Georgia, telling NBC in an interview that aired on Sunday it was “a legit,” but honorary badge from his hometown sheriff’s department. Walker had pulled out the badge during a discussion over support for police – in a […]

Russia hits Kyiv with new ‘kamikaze’ drone attack

Russia blasted the Ukrainian capital with a wave of “kamikaze” drones Monday in a renewed attack just a week after unleashing a deadly barrage against civilian and infrastructure targets across the country. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said “kamikaze” drones caused four explosions that rocked the city’s central Shevchenkivskyi District in the early morning hours. Klitschko […]

Trump attacks American Jews, says they must ‘get their act together’ on Israel ‘before it’s too late’

Former President Donald Trump attacked Jews in the U.S. on his Truth Social platform Sunday, writing that they need to “get their act together” and “appreciate” Israel “before it is too late.” “No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than […]

The Rude Pundit: The Patriotic Case for Jailing Donald Trump

Thursday’s hearing by the January 6 Committee was clarifying in the way that a great closing argument at a trial can be, pulling together threads that had previously come up and demonstrating how someone is guilty of the crime or crimes they’ve been accused of. What is so absolutely glisteningly clear is that Donald Trump, […]

SMHH VideoCast with Tristan Snell & Judy Gold 10-14-22

StephCast F 10-14-22

Jan. 6 Committee Votes to Subpoena Trump – ‘He’s Required to Answer for His Actions’

The Jan. 6 House select committee investigating the 2021 Capitol insurrection voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump during its final public hearing on Thursday. Near the end of the hearing, Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) stated the committee had clearly demonstrated Trump tried to overthrow American democracy when he incited an angry mob to storm […]

Parkland school shooter avoids the death penalty after jury recommends life in prison without parole

A jury on Thursday spared Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz from the death penalty, recommending that he be sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 14 students and three staff members dead. The 12-person jury’s recommendation was read in a […]

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s request in dispute over Mar-a-Lago documents

The Supreme Court handed former President Donald Trump a loss Thursday in his dispute with the Justice Department over documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago residence, rejecting his request that a special master be allowed to review classified papers. The justices denied Trump’s relatively narrow emergency request in a brief unsigned order. No dissents were noted. […]

Jarring new video, evidence Trump knew he lost: Key takeaways from the latest Jan. 6 hearing

While President Donald Trump was refusing to call off the mob of his supporters attacking the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and other congressional leaders leaped into action to try to retake control of the sprawling complex. They called the secretary of defense and the acting attorney general and urged […]

StephCast Th 10-13-22

Charlie Pierce: Sen. Ed Markey Keeps Pushing the Feds to Show a Little Spine on DeSantis’ Evil Stunt

Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts always has been a workhorse in the Senate. As a congressman, he was out ahead of most of the rest of his colleagues on the climate crisis, even back when it was “the greenhouse effect.” He also saw the revolution coming in computer science and the internet. His prescience on […]

Ex-Oath Keeper says ‘many weapons’ were stored outside capital during Jan. 6 attack

A former member of the Oath Keepers militia group testified Wednesday about the large stash of weapons stored by the group at a hotel just outside Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6, 2001, assault on the Capitol, as prosecutors provided more details on the group’s planning and private communications leading up to the attack. “I […]

A Trump employee told the FBI that the former president ordered staff to move boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago

One of Donald Trump‘s employees told FBI agents the former president ordered boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago to be moved before federal agents searched the property, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source also told NBC News that the FBI obtained security video showing people moving boxes out of a storage room […]

Alex Jones must pay $965 million in damages to families of 8 Sandy Hook victims

The conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay $965 million to the families of eight Sandy Hook shooting victims and an FBI agent who responded to the attack for the suffering he caused them by spreading lies on his platforms about the 2012 massacre, a Connecticut jury found on Wednesday. Jones faced liability for defamation, intentional […]

Jan. 6 panel set to hold final hearing today before midterm elections

The Jan. 6 committee’s ninth and likely final investigative hearing Thursday will feature new testimony and evidence, including Secret Service records and surveillance video. The hearing, set for 1 p.m. ET, will not include any live witnesses, a committee aide said. And unlike earlier hearings that focused on a specific aspect of the GOP plot […]

StephCast W 10-12-22

Herschel Walker claims ex-girlfriend, whose identity he says he knows, is lying about abortion

Senate hopeful Herschel Walker said Tuesday that he now knows the identity of the person alleging that he reimbursed her for the cost of an abortion procedure more than a decade ago, but said he has not spoken to the ex-girlfriend since the news broke and accused her of lying. “I know nothing about an […]

Kevin McCarthy Reportedly Berated a GOP Colleague and Drove Her to Tears for Speaking About His Jan. 6 Call With Trump

A pair of new book excerpts show Kevin McCarthy lashing out and under massive pressure from the fallout of Donald Trump’s supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Politico Playbook got an early look at Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind, the upcoming book from New York Times Magazine […]

Justice Department urges Supreme Court to reject Trump request over seized Mar-a-Lago documents

The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject former President Donald Trump‘s request to give the special master reviewing documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate access to those marked as classified. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in court papers that Trump would suffer “no harm at all” if the documents are temporarily […]

Biden warns there will be ‘consequences’ for Saudi Arabia after oil production cut

President Joe Biden warned Tuesday that Saudi Arabia would face “consequences” after OPEC+ last week announced the biggest cut in oil production since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Senior Democrats on Capitol Hill have condemned the decision by Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the oil-producing alliance, to reduce the global supply of […]

StephCast T 10-11-22

Trump Lawyers Are Turning on Each Other Over Mar-a-Lago Probe

CHRISTINA BOBB, THE Trump lawyer who in June signed a letter certifying that all of the sensitive material the former president moved from the White House to Mar-a-Lago had been returned, is talking to federal authorities investigating the matter. The news that Bobb is dishing to the feds, reported initially by NBC News, comes just […]

U.S. airport websites knocked offline in apparent pro-Russia hacking attack

An apparently coordinated denial-of-service attack organized by pro-Russia hackers rendered the websites of some major U.S. airports unreachable early Monday, though officials said flights were not affected. The attacks — in which participants flood targets with junk data — were orchestrated by a shadowy group that calls itself Killnet. On the eve of the attacks […]

Secret Service agents were denied when they tried to learn what Jan. 6 info was seized from their personal cellphones

Secret Service agents asked the agency for a record of all of the communications seized from their personal cellphones as part of investigations into the events of Jan. 6, 2021, but were rebuffed, according to a document reviewed by NBC News. The Secret Service’s office that handles such requests, the Freedom of Information Act Program, […]

Trump lawyer Christina Bobb speaks to federal investigators in Mar-a-Lago case

Christina Bobb, the attorney who signed a letter certifying that all sensitive records in former President Donald Trump’s possession had been returned to the government, spoke to federal investigators Friday and named two other Trump attorneys involved with the case, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The certification statement, signed June 3 by […]

StephCast M 10-10-22

Trump campaigns for Arizona election deniers in a state that will test his power in 2022 and beyond

There is perhaps nowhere in the country where former President Donald Trump had more success elevating his slate of “Make American Great Again” candidates into formidable 2022 contenders than Arizona, a state he narrowly lost in 2020 where he has relentlessly sought to overturn the presidential election results. With less than a month until Election […]

Kanye West’s Twitter account locked after offensive tweet aimed at Jewish community

Kanye West is facing controversy again, after Twitter locked his account over a tweet he wrote aimed at the Jewish community that violated the company’s policies. The rapper, who changed his name to Ye, posted a highly offensive tweet referencing the Jewish community on Saturday night, which involved a reference to the defense readiness alert […]

Blasts rock Kyiv after Putin accuses Ukraine of Crimea bridge attack ‘terrorism’

Multiple explosions rocked Kyiv and cities across Ukraine on Monday, shattering months of relative calm for civilians in the capital and beyond. At least 8 people were killed and 24 others injured after Russian missile attacks hit the city, Ukrainian officials said. NBC News has not verified the claims. Air defenses were activated in what […]

The Rude Pundit: Herschel Walker Proves That All That GOP Abortion Sh** Was a Lie

I’ve never seen a grift given away quite as blatantly as it was by right-wing talk thing Dana Loesch (motto: “I was too fucking crazy for the NRA”). In talking about the revelation that ultra-anti-abortion Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, running against incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock, paid for a girlfriend’s abortion, Loesch started with “What I’m about […]

StephCast F 10-7-22

Judy Tenuta, Accordion-Playing ‘Love Goddess’ of Standup Comedy, Dies at 72

Judy Tenuta, a standup comic who shot to fame during the 1980s, delivering her frenetic, off-kilter comedy while dressed in outlandish outfits, playing the accordion and anointing herself “The Love Goddess,” died on Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 72. Her longtime manager, Roger Paul, said the cause was ovarian cancer. Ms. Tenuta broke through […]

Justice Dept. Is Said to Believe Trump Has More Documents

A top Justice Department official told former President Donald J. Trump’s lawyers in recent weeks that the department believed he had not returned all the documents he took when he left the White House, according to two people briefed on the matter. The outreach from the official, Jay I. Bratt, who leads the department’s counterintelligence […]

Biden warns risk of nuclear ‘Armageddon’ is highest since Cuban Missile Crisis

President Joe Biden said Thursday the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is the highest it has been for 60 years after Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed his threats. In remarks at a reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said it was the first time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis that there has been […]

Biden to pardon thousands convicted of marijuana possession

President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will take executive action to pardon thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. Biden said he would also encourage governors to take similar action with state offenses and ask the Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department to review how marijuana is scheduled, […]

StephCast Th 10-6-22

In Rebuke to West, OPEC and Russia Aim to Raise Oil Prices With Big Supply Cut

Saudi Arabia and Russia, acting as leaders of the OPEC Plus energy cartel, agreed on Wednesday to their first large production cut in more than two years in a bid to raise prices, countering efforts by the United States and Europe to choke off the enormous revenue that Moscow reaps from the sale of crude. […]

Appeals court agrees to speed up Justice Department’s appeal of order appointing outside arbiter in Trump documents dispute

A federal appeals court in Atlanta agreed to speed up consideration of the Justice Department’s appeal of a lower court order appointing an outside legal expert to review the documents seized by the FBI at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit granted the request from federal […]

Woman Who Claims Herschel Walker Paid for Her Abortion Says They Also Share a Child

The woman who upended the Georgia Senate race Monday with a claim GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker paid for an abortion for her in 2009 now says she is raising one of his children.   Walker’s campaign has been in damage control mode for 48 hours – since it was reported by the Daily Beast […]

Biden meets with DeSantis in Florida as he surveys Hurricane Ian damage

President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared side-by-side in hard-hit Fort Myerson Wednesday as the president surveyed damage from Hurricane Ian. The two leaders, often political opponents, have momentarily put politics aside to respond to the historic storm, which is shaping up to be one of Florida’s deadliest and costliest in decades. Making […]

StephCast W 10-5-22

New Poll Shows Lauren Boebert Effectively Tied With Challenger, Suddenly at Risk of Losing Seat

Controversial Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) leads her Democratic challenger Adam Frisch by only two points, according to a new poll out this week. The Keating Research poll, conducted from Sept. 2 to October 2, found Boebert leading with 47 percent of the vote to Frisch’s 45 percent, with 7 percent undecided. The poll carried […]

“The final defense is us and our rifles”: Oath Keepers leaders talked of taking up arms days after Biden’s victory

In the days after media outlets calculated that Joe Biden had won the 2020 presidential election, prosecutors allege members of the far-right Oath Keepers group, including founder Stewart Rhodes, were making calculations of their own: how best to mount a resistance to Joe Biden’s presidency and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. FBI Special Agent […]

Trump Lashes Out at ‘Fake News Media’ Over Herschel Walker’s Abortion Bombshell: ‘Trying to Destroy a Man’ With ‘True Greatness in His Future’

Former President Donald Trump attacked the media while defending Herschel Walker over the newly-reported abortion bombshell for the Republican Senate candidate he endorsed. “Herschel Walker is being slandered and maligned by the Fake News Media and obviously, the Democrats,” Trump declared in a statement on Tuesday. “Interestingly, I’ve heard many horrible things about his opponent, […]

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in Mar-a-Lago Case, Rips Raid as Political and Says: ‘I Want My Documents Back’

Former President Donald Trump has asked the United States Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf in his classified documents fight against the Justice Department. In a filing Tuesday afternoon, attorneys for Trump said they are seeking to overturn a ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that ordered his hand-picked special master to halt […]

StephCast T 10-4-22

Oath Keepers leader regretted not having guns on Jan. 6, prosecutors say at seditious conspiracy trial

The founder of the far-right Oath Keepers was recorded days after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol saying his “only regret” about that day is that the group “should have brought rifles,” federal prosecutors revealed in federal court Monday. Opening statements began Monday in the seditious conspiracy trialof Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes […]

Herschel Walker’s son lashes out at dad after news report the Senate GOP nominee paid for an abortion in 2009

Herschel Walker’s son Christian Walker blasted his dad’s bid for a Georgia Senate seat by calling him a bad father, a liar and a hypocrite just hours after a news report Monday said the GOP nominee got a woman pregnant and paid for her abortion more than a decade ago. “I don’t care about someone […]

Trump defamation suit accuses CNN of escalating slander against him over ‘fears’ he will run in 2024

Former President Donald Trump sued CNN alleging defamation on Monday, accusing the news network of taking persistent actions aimed at “defeating him politically.” According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for Southern Florida, Trump alleged CNN has maliciously made false and defamatory statements about him. He is seeking $475 million in punitive damages, […]

National Archives notified Trump lawyers in May 2021 it was missing Kim Jong Un correspondence and Obama letter

The National Archives notified Donald Trump’s lawyers in May 2021 that some of the presidential records it was missing included correspondence between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a letter former President Barack Obama left for Trump, according to a previously undisclosed email. The National Archives and Record Administration made the email, […]

Charlie Pierce: They’ve Figured Out who Ronald DeSantis’ Pied Piper of the Vineyard Is

When details started to emerge from Martha’s Vineyard about the mechanics of Florida Gov. Ronald DeSantis’ dirty trick, one of the principal villains was the mysterious “Perla,” who (one assumes) has some interesting tales to tell about how she landed the gig, including who hired her and what her instructions were. If only we knew […]