Archives

Georgia school shooting: Suspect’s father arrested on charges including involuntary manslaughter 2

The father of the 14-year-old suspect in Wednesday’s high school shooting has been arrested on charges that include involuntary manslaughter. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation made the announcement on X and said a news conference will be held at 8 p.m. ET to discuss the matter. Colin Gray, 54, was arrested on four counts of […]

StephCast Th 9-5-24

Liz Cheney endorses Harris for president

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Wednesday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, the latest high-profile Republican endorsement for Democrats. Cheney’s comments took place during an appearance at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. “Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I […]

Trump and Harris campaigns agree to rules for Tuesday’s ABC debate

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trumpare set to debate each other next week for the first time after their campaigns on Wednesday agreed to the ground rules set by host network ABC. The Sept. 10 event in Philadelphia will use the same rules and formatas the June debate between Trump and President […]

Russian money was funneled to right-wing creators through a pro-Trump media outlet: prosecutors

Employees of the Russia-backed media network RT funded and directed a scheme that sent millions of dollars to prominent right-wing commentators through a media company that appears to match the description of Tenet Media, a leading platform for pro-Trump voices, according to an NBC News review of charging documents, business records and social media profiles. […]

Georgia high school shooting suspect was investigated in 2023 for online threats, authorities say

A 14-year-old student suspected of gunning down four people at his Georgia high school Wednesday was previously investigated in connection with threats to carry out a school shooting, federal authorities said. The suspect, then 13, was a possible suspect in connection with threats made online last year using photos of guns, the FBI’s Atlanta field […]

StephCast W 9-4-24

Malcolm Nance: DNC 2024 RECAPEGY

Man was that a party! The Democratic Convention was noteworthy for whoshowed up and what was said as well as who did not get mentioned or a chance to disrupt … I’m looking at you #FreePalestine Protesters. Watch and enjoy. See Malcolm Nance’s video at and subscribe to his Substack

Trump Spews Election Fraud Claims, Distances From Project 2025 In Podcast Interview

In an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Trump spewed some of his usual rhetoric about the 2020 election and Project 2025. “I think the fraud was on the other side. I think the election was a fraud,” Trump told Fridman, referring to the 2020 election. “And many people felt it was that and they wanted […]

Harris To Seek Huge Expansion Of Startup Tax Deduction To Help Small Businesses

Vice President Kamala Harris will propose a massive expansion of a key tax break Wednesday as part of a plan to see 25 million new small businesses created by the end of her term if she wins the White House, according to a campaign official. The plan is to be publicly proposed at a speech […]

Federal Judge Rejects Trump Request To Intervene In Hush Money Case

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump’s request to intervene in his New York hush money criminal case, thwarting the former president’s latest bid to overturn his felony conviction and delay his sentencing. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that Trump had not satisfied the burden of proof required for a federal court to […]

John McCain’s son endorses Harris and hits Trump over Arlington cemetery incident

The incident involving Donald Trump’s campaign staff at Arlington National Cemetery was the last straw for Jimmy McCain, the youngest son of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. In an interview Tuesday on CNN, McCain said that after last week’s events at the cemetery he registered as a Democrat and decided to vote for Vice […]

StephCast T 9-3-24

Biden says Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to get a hostage deal

President Joe Biden on Monday said he did not think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done enough to secure a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, a comment that comes amid massive protests in Israel.   Biden made the remark to reporters after a weekend during which the bodies of six hostages executed by Hamas were […]

Polls show a changed, close 2024 race heading into Labor Day

Two words sum up the national and battleground state polls released ahead of Labor Day weekend, with fewer than 10 weeks to go until Election Day: changed and close. Changed, because most of the surveys — conducted after President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 race, after the Democratic convention, and after independent Robert F. […]

White House says Biden and Harris weren’t invited to Arlington Cemetery by families of service members killed during Afghanistan withdrawal

Gold Star families did not invite President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to Arlington National Cemetery by last week to commemorate the third anniversary of the attack at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan, a White House official and a Harris aide told NBC News, rebutting separate claims made Sunday by GOP Sen. Tom Cotton […]

Biden and Harris rally in battleground Pennsylvania as Trump sits out Labor Day

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joined forces on the campaign trail Monday in the marquee union town of Pittsburgh, making the case that their administration’s record on labor would again lift workers if Harris were sent to the White House.  It was a Labor Day showing in a battleground state on what […]

Charlie Pierce: There’s Only One Reason CNN’s Dana Bash Asked VP Harris What She’ll Do On Day One

I suppose discussing The Interview is worth a few pixels. I thought both halves of the Democratic ticket did fairly well, and I don’t think Dana Bash was all that terrible. (She was, of course, terrible, along with Jake Tapper, in their roles as moderators of Trump-Biden, in which they allowed the former president* to […]

StephCast F 8-30-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Brooklyn Dad Defiant & George Conway 8-30-24

Noel Casler: Black Books-Chapter Seven

With the smugness of a hairless cat, the thin white scion luxuriated in the South Florida sun. “Botox don’t burn bitches!” he exclaimed to Vanky as she attempted to pass him the sunblock. They both laughed out loud. His more of a whinny than a guffaw, like a chipmunk on ecstasy. She possessed a heartier […]

Trump asks federal court to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case

Former President Donald Trump is seeking to delay the upcoming sentencing in his New York hush money case by again asking a federal court in New York to take up the case in light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. In a 60-page filing Thursday, Trump’s lawyers urged the court to reconsider […]

Trump Claims He’s A Victim Of ‘Very Bad People’ After Dustup At Arlington Cemetery

After his campaign’s staffers “abruptly pushed aside” an official at Arlington National Cemetery and ignored rules prohibiting political activity on its grounds, President Donald Trump is pushing back, saying he was the victim of a smear campaign from “bad people” out of Washington. “Those incredible parents … asked me to go yesterday to Arlington, and […]

Trump says he wants to make IVF treatments paid for by government or insurance companies if elected

Former President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Thursday that if he is elected, his administration would not only protect access to in-vitro fertilization but would also have either the government or insurance companies cover the cost of the expensive service for American women who need it. “We are going to […]

Harris defends her policy changes in first interview: ‘My values have not changed’

Vice President Kamala Harris was pressed about her policy evolutions Thursday in her first interview since she became the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, sitting alongside her running mate, Tim Walz. The highly anticipated interview, with CNN’s Dana Bash, came after pressure had been building for Harris to answer more questions from impartial journalists and fully […]

StephCast Th 8-29-24

Kamala Harris Surges in Battleground States, Fox News Polling Shows

Vice President Kamala Harris has closed the gap in several critical swing states just over a month into her campaign, according to recent polling by Fox News. The network released new surveys on Wednesday comparing Harris’ support in four battleground states to President Joe Biden‘s polling numbers prior to him suspending his reelection campaign in […]

Supreme Court Rejects Biden Administration Plea To Restore Student Debt Relief Plan

The Supreme Court on Wednesday kept on hold the latest multibillion-dollar plan from the Biden administration that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts. The justices rejected an administration request to put most of it back into effect. It was blocked by 8th U.S. Circuit Court […]

JD Vance Says Kamala Harris ‘Can Go To Hell’

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance said Wednesday that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris “can go to hell.” The caustic comment came in response to a reporter’s question about an “altercation” Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, where Trump reportedly posed for photos over the objections of cemetery officials. Vance said Trump had been invited by […]

Trump team downplays Arlington ‘incident’ in an effort to minimize political fallout

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is playing down reports of an altercation during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, a move that signals its concern about potential political fallout from the incident. “A nameless bureaucrat at Arlington whose job it is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery is doing the complete opposite […]

StephCast W 8-28-24

Harris and Walz agree to joint sit-down interview airing Thursday on CNN

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to soon face her first post-convention test when she sits for a formal interview airing in primetime on Thursday. CNN announced Tuesday that Harris and her running mate Gov. Tim Walz will be interviewed by anchor Dana Bash, marking the first sitdown with a reporter since President Joe Biden […]

Trump says he’s accepted rules for September 10 debate, which include muted mics

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced on Truth Social that he has “reached an agreement” to participate in a September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, noting that “the rules will be the same as the last CNN debate, which seemed to work out well for everyone.” The rules will largely mirror the terms used […]

Harris aims to expand electoral map with two-day Georgia bus tour, Savannah rally

Vice President Kamala Harris will embark on a two-day Georgia swing on Wednesday, and analysts say it’s wise to strike in the Southern swing state while she has momentum. The Democratic presidential nominee is coming off what even some Republicans say was a successful national convention, with Donald Trump campaign aides contending any polling spike […]

Special counsel reindicts Trump with narrower set of accusations after Supreme Court immunity decision

Special counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday in which he again accused Trump of resisting the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election. Smith narrowed the allegations after a landmark Supreme Court ruling on presidential power earlier this year. The new 36-page charging document is […]

StephCast T 8-27-24

U.S. Judge blocks Biden administration from granting legal status to immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens

A federal judge in Texas on Monday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from granting legal status to unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens, granting a request from 16 Republican-led states who challenged the new policy. The order by District Court Judge J. Campbell Barker effectively brings to a halt a large immigration program that opened […]

Democrats Sue Georgia Election Board Over New Rules That Could Delay Vote Certification

Democrats sued Georgia’s State Election Board on Monday, asking a judge to block new rules the party claims could cause “chaos” and allow local officials to potentially delay or even stop the certification of votes in November. The suit — filed by the Democratic Party of Georgia and the Democratic National Committee, with backing from […]

Special counsel Jack Smith urges appeals court to revive Trump classified documents case

Federal prosecutors asked an appeals court Monday to restore Donald Trump’s classified documents case, pushing back on the former president‘s claims that Jack Smith’s appointment as special counsel violated the Constitution. “The Attorney General validly appointed the Special Counsel, who is also properly funded,” Assistant Special Counsel James Pearce, a member of Smith’s team, wrote […]

Trump suggests he may back out of a Sept. 10 ABC debate

Former President Donald Trump suggested Monday that he might back out of the scheduled ABC News debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10 because he said the network is hostile toward Republicans. Speaking in a Vietnamese restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, Trump said he had watched ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday and […]

Charlie Pierce: National Weirdo RFK Jr. Has, Unsurprisingly, Endorsed Donald Trump

Jefferson Morley—the dogged, relentless gumshoe whose pursuit of what the CIA knew about the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been invaluable in changing what the public knows about that dark watershed in American history—sent out a newsletter on Monday that contained a scene that Oliver Stone deleted from his biopic of Richard Nixon. It […]

StephCast M 8-26-24

Dean Obeidallah: Despite what the NY Times claims: Joy actually is a strategy—a winning one at that!

The NY Times—being the NY Times—on Friday published an op-ed about Vice President Harris with the title, “Joy is not a Strategy.” This article was penned by their Deputy Opinion Editor Patrick Healy who shared how he “cringed a little in the convention hall Tuesday night when Bill Clinton said Kamala Harris would be “the […]

The Rude Pundit: Some Perspective After the DNC Hangover

The 2024 Democratic National Convention was, by most ways you could look at it, a shockingly spectacular success, even if Beyonce’ and Taylor Swift didn’t show (and, really, they’d have been in the way). The absolute exuberance on display made it plain that President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside and not seek reelection had […]

Harris raised $82 million during DNC, $540 million since launch, campaign says

Vice President Kamala Harris raised $82 million the week of the Democratic National Convention, bringing her total haul since launching her candidacy last month to $540 million, her campaign said. The sum is buttressed by nearly $40 million raked in during and after Harris delivered her acceptance speech at the convention on Thursday night, campaign […]

WORLD Israel and Hezbollah exchange strikes before pulling back, jolting region amid Gaza cease-fire talks

What to know about the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah Israel and the Hezbollah militant group launched their heaviest exchange of fire after months of strikes and counterstrikes. By mid-morning Sunday, it appeared to have ended, with both sides saying they only aimed at military targets. Authorities in Lebanon said the Israeli strikes […]

RFK Jr.’s Sister Scorches Him For Setting Fire To ‘Father’s Memory’ After Backing Trump

Kerry Kennedy, sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., declared that her father would’ve “detested almost everything” Donald Trump represents as she slammed her brother for endorsing the former president on Friday. “I’m outraged and disgusted by my brother’s gaudy and obscene embrace of Donald Trump,” she told MSNBC host Jen Psaki on Sunday. “And I […]

Sen. JD Vance Says He Will ‘Absolutely Commit’ To Not Imposing A Federal Abortion Ban

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, said he will “absolutely commit” to not implementing a federal abortion ban two years after saying he’d like “abortion to be illegal nationally.” While appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Vance vouched for former President Donald Trump, telling moderator Kristen Welker that he […]

Stephcast 8-23-24

Stephcast 8-22-24

Stephcast 8-21-24

Stephcast 8-20-24

Stephcast 8-19-24

StephCast F 8-16-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Politics Girl & Olivia Troye 8-16-24

5 charged in Matthew Perry’s ketamine death as new details emerge

Five people have been charged in connection with the ketamine death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, federal officials in Los Angeles announced Thursday. Three of the defendants, including a doctor and the actor’s assistant, are in plea agreements for federal drug charges in connection with this death, while two others — including a second doctor […]

Trump says he’s ‘entitled’ to make personal attacks on Harris, citing lack of respect

At a news conference Thursday afternoon at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey — his second in a week – former President Donald Trump said he’s “entitled” to insult his Democratic opponent — Vice President Kamala Harris — because he doesn’t respect her. “I think I am entitled to personal attacks. I do not […]

Biden, Harris greeted by chants of ‘Thank you, Joe’ at 1st joint event since he exited race

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint event since Biden exited the 2024 race and endorsed her to take his place atop the Democratic ticket. The two walked out together to cheers to deliver remarks on stage at Prince George’s County Community College in Maryland about the economy and what […]

Harris to unveil economic agenda that would crack down on ‘price gouging’ on food, groceries

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to release her economic agenda on Friday following calls for her campaign to zero in on policy after their unprecedented rise to the top of Democratic ticket. Harris is set to outline her plans at an event in Raleigh, North Carolina — a pivotal battleground state both Harris and […]

StephCast Th 8-15-24

Resurfaced Podcast With JD Vance Has Weird Audio About The ‘Postmenopausal Female’

Vice presidential candidate JD Vance agreed with a podcast host in 2020 that the “whole purpose of the postmenopausal female” is to help raise grandchildren. The remark came during an appearance on a podcast called “The Portal,” hosted by Eric Weinstein, who at the time was the managing director of an investment firm founded by […]

Trump attacks Harris on the economy, but talking little policy

Trump is in North Carolina to deliver remarks on the economy, but his speech so far has not revealed any new or detailed policy positions and instead is focused on bashing Harris on inflation and immigration. “With four more years of Harris, your finances will never recover, they’re never going to recover. Our country will […]

Poll: Dem Enthusiasm Swells After Harris Enters Race

Democrats are feeling significantly more enthusiastic about the presidential election ever since Harris entered the race, with enthusiasm jumping from 46% in June to 85%, according to the findings of a new poll released Wednesday. The latest Monmouth University poll of 801 registered voters found voter enthusiasm among all groups rising from 48% to 68% […]

StephCast W 8-14-24

Malcolm Nance: JD Vance is a Swiftboating Blue Falcon (Buddy F*cker) Here is Why.

The Republican Vice Presidential nominee, JD Vance, generally doesn’t want people to know that when he served in the US Marine Corps as a journalist (called a Combat Correspondent) deployed to Iraq, his name was not JD Vance.  He was Corporal James D. Hamel.  Corporal Hamel was assigned in the relatively safe, air-conditioned spaces on […]

Kamala Harris to release her first major economic plan as a presidential candidate

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver a speech Friday to roll out her economic portfolio in Raleigh, North Carolina, marking the first time Harris has released a major policy initiative since President Biden dropped out of the race last month.  Harris is expected to announce that she will make tackling inflation a “Day […]

UAW files federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

The United Auto Workers Union has filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the union said Tuesday. In a thread on X, the union said Trump and Musk had illegally attempted to “threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes.” […]

Rep. Ilhan Omar fends off primary challengers following other ‘squad’ members’ defeats

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., fended off several primary challengersTuesday, NBC News projects, a victory for progressives after two of her fellow members of the “squad” suffered defeats this summer.  Omar defeated former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who lost to her by just 2 percentage points in the 2022 primary, and two other challengers […]

Walz defends his military record amid Republican attacks at first solo campaign event

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz defended his military record Tuesday amid attacks from Republicans led by his election rival, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who has accused him of stolen valor. “I am damn proud of my service to this country,” Walz, the governor of Minnesota, said in Los Angeles during his first solo […]

StephCast T 8-13-24

Harris Campaign Bashes Trump-Musk Interview as ‘Self-Obsessed Rich Guys’ Who ‘Cannot Run a Livestream’

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign bashed Elon Musk’s interview with former President Donald Trump that was hosted on X, The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter, issuing a statement that dunked on the two participants as “self-obsessed rich guys” who couldn’t run a livestream. The chat between Musk and the ex-president got off to a late […]

RFK Jr. denied ballot access in New York after judge rules he used ‘sham’ address on petition

A New York judge ruled Monday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ballot-access petition in the state is invalid, delivering the first major blow to the independent presidential candidate’s bid for nationwide ballot access. New York Supreme Court Justice Christina Ryba accepted the arguments made by Democratic voters and supported by Clear Choice PAC, a pro-Kamala […]

Arizona abortion rights measure will be on November ballot

A ballot measure for a proposed Arizona constitutional amendment that would establish a “fundamental right to abortion” has garnered enough signatures to be on the state’s ballot. The Arizona Abortion Access Act received 577,971 certified signatures, the Arizona secretary of state’s office confirmed Monday – nearly 200,000 more than required to appear on the November […]

Trump Slurs Words In Rambling, Off-The-Rails Interview With World’s Richest Man…

Former President Donald Trump went on a two-hour tear of lies, exaggerations and fearmongering in a conversation Monday with billionaire Elon Musk on the X social media platform. The chat between the two men, one the Republican nominee for president and the other the world’s richest man, is Trump’s latest effort to appeal to voters […]

Charlie Pierce: Mormons Don’t Want to Vote for Trump

I have pretty much given up on waiting for lots of people to advance The Washington Post’s mega scoop about the possibility that the Republican candidate for president might have been sublet to the government of Egypt. A consensus seems to be building that there is no “smoking gun” to prove that former attorney general […]

StephCast M 8-12-24

Trump flails as Harris gains momentum

Donald Trump’s campaign, which has whiffed in its early attacks on Kamala Harris’ new presidential campaign, will grapple this week for a more effective foothold after the vice president transformed an election of stunning surprises. The ex-president has deployed some of his most trusted political tools — targeting racial identify, creating alternative realities, flinging insults […]

Trump Falsely Accuses Harris Of Using AI For Massive Crowd At Rally

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday falsely accused his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, of using artificial intelligence to give the appearance of a more extensive crowd during a Wednesday campaign rally near Detroit, Michigan. “Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it, and […]

Harris says she supports eliminating federal taxes on tips

Vice President Kamala Harris pledged Saturday to eliminate taxes on tipped wages for service workers, matching a proposal from former President Donald Trump. During a rally in Las Vegas she held alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris praised the work of the Culinary Workers Union, which endorsed her Friday, and vowed to […]

Democratic National Convention speakers include Biden, Obama and the Clintons

Several prominent Democratic figures are set to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this month, two sources familiar with the plans told NBC News. President Joe Biden, former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been confirmed as speakers at the convention. Obama and the Clintons […]

The Rude Pundit: Harris/Walz… We Need This Joy

Something occurred to me while watching yesterday’s rally in Philadelphia kicking off the campaign for the full 2024 Democratic ticket of current Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Governor Tim Walz for vice president. It occurred to me while watching Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had been considered a frontrunner for the VP job, […]

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman & Rachel Bitecofer

StephCast F 8-9-24

Harris Camp Declines to Commit to Trump’s Fox News Debate Pitch, Future Debates ‘Contingent’ on Trump Showing Up on Sept. 10

Vice President Kamala Harris will not agree to a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News against former President Donald Trump but could take up his offer for multiple debates if he shows up for their scheduled Sept. 10 debate on ABC News, a report claims. Trump proposed three debates during a lengthy press conference on […]

Kamala Harris Takes First Questions From the Press Since Becoming Democratic Nominee

Vice President Kamala Harris took her first questions from the press on Thursday since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Harris – who has received criticism for dodging questions from the press since she launched her presidential campaign last month – answered a few short questions from reporters on Thursday evening, addressing debates with former […]

Trump appears to confuse former Mayor Willie Brown with former Gov. Jerry Brown

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to confuse former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown with former California Gov. Jerry Brown in recounting what he characterized as a near-death experience. During a news conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he once flew with Willie Brown in a helicopter that “went […]

Trump lashes out about Harris crowd size, attacks her intelligence at bizarre press conference

In a long and, at times, rambling news conference on Thursday, former President Donald Trump repeated numerous falsehoods as he lashed out against Vice President Kamala Harris, his opponent in the presidential race. Trump led the event, his first open news conference since Gov. Tim Walz was named Harris’ running mate, by announcing he agreed […]

StephCast Th 8-8-24

Harris and Walz Make Their Appeal in Midwest Swing

The battle for the Upper Midwest began in earnest on Wednesday, with the Harris and Trump campaigns making dueling appearances in the same cities. Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, wrapped up their day with a rally in Michigan, where Senator JD Vance of Ohio began his. […]

Joe Biden Gives Voters A Chilling Donald Trump Reality Check: ‘He Means It’

President Joe Biden, in his first interview since abandoning his reelection campaign last month, expressed his fears over what former president and current GOP nominee Donald Trump may do if he loses the 2024 election against Democratic rival Kamala Harris. CBS News’ Robert Costa asked Biden if he was confident that a peaceful transfer of […]

The Right-Wing Attacks On Tim Walz Are Weird

For the last four years, conservative and right-wing activists and pundits have been engaged in a culture war that demonizes racial justice, the LGBTQ community and progressive ideals. So, when presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate on Tuesday, the culture warriors immediately dusted off […]

Trump complains about campaign as advisers try to focus on attacking Harris

Donald Trump’s candidacy appeared all but destined for victory only weeks ago. He rose defiant from the bullet graze of an attempted assassination, hoisting his fist in the air with a unified party at his back, a growing lead in the polls, dissolving criminal prosecutions — and a struggling opponent, President Joe Biden, facing a […]

StephCast W 8-7-24

Malcolm Nance: FLASH TRAFFIC – Israel-Iran War 2.0 is Coming … Maybe Within Hours

Sometime within the next 24 to 48 hours, Vice President Kamala Harris will be pulled aside or woken up, and these words will be whispered to her: “Defense intelligence is watching the movement of over 100 Iranian ballistic missile launchers come out of their warehouses. At approximately 2200 hours East Coast time, space sensors detected […]

Pakistani national charged with alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump, other public officials

A Pakistani national with purported ties to Iran was arrested last month on charges he plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump and multiple other public officials, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court. While the criminal complaint does not mention Trump by name, multiple sources familiar with the case told […]

Donald Trump Claims Tim Walz Will ‘Unleash HELL ON EARTH’

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump had an apocalyptic response to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her vice presidential running mate on Tuesday. In an email to his supporters, Trump claimed that Walz, an amiable Midwesterner with a record as governor that progressives love, said he would be […]

Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for running mate

Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate, adding a popular Midwestern state executive to the Democratic ticket as the party gears up to hold onto key northern battleground states this fall. Harris’ campaign texted supporters Tuesday morning, calling Walz “a battle-tested leader who has an incredible […]

‘We are the underdogs’: Harris introduces running mate Walz as a coach, veteran and protector of reproductive rights

Vice President Kamala Harris introduced her running mate to the nation at a raucous rally in Pennsylvania’s biggest city Tuesday, playing up Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s background as a teacher, football coach, national guardsman and “one of the best marksmen” on Capitol Hill. Thousands of supporters roared as Harris and Walz alternated between playing up […]

StephCast T 8-6-24

Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis to cooperate with prosecutors in Arizona ‘fake electors’ case

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office announced Monday that Jenna Ellis, a former Donald Trump attorney and one of the 18 defendants in the Arizona “fake electors” case stemming from the 2020 election, is cooperating with the prosecution. Ellis signed the cooperation agreement Monday morning, according to the announcement, which said prosecutors are dropping the […]

Justice Clarence Thomas didn’t disclose additional private jet travel, Democratic senator says

The head of a Senate panel investigating Clarence Thomas said Monday that the Supreme Court justice had failed to disclose additional private jet travel. In a letter to an attorney for conservative megadonor Harlan Crow, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said flight records show that in 2010 Thomas and his wife traveled round-trip from Hawaii to […]

Harris to embark on a seven-state campaign blitz with her VP pick

Vice President Kamala Harris will set out this week on a swing-state campaign blitz, giving her a far heavier travel schedule than her opponent, former President Donald Trump. It will be a critical week for Harris, who is rushing to introduce herself to voters with just three months until Election Day. It will also be […]

Harris expected to announce her VP pick Tuesday ahead of their Philadelphia rally

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to reveal her vice presidential pick Tuesday, ahead of their first rally togetherin Philadelphia in the evening, according to two sources familiar with the plan. These people cautioned that the timing of the announcement is still subject to change based on when Harris makes her final decision or whether […]

Charlie Pierce: J.D. Vance Is Stunningly Ignorant About Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? You Don’t Say.

It was moving week, so many of the weekly specials here in the shebeen were not available. Apologies to all you regulars and to Friedman of the Plains. I’m sure Oklahoma will keep being crazy for another week. Regular hours will resume on Monday. However, there was one development that caught my eye as being […]

StephCast M 8-5-24

Hurricane Debby nearing landfall in northern Florida

Hurricane Debby is nearing landfall, with the eyewall moving onshore in the Florida Big Bend area, according to a special 4 a.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center. Landfall is when the center of the eye moves over land. Debby has sustained maximum winds of 80 mph, with stronger gusts. It is about 40 […]

Boosts in Democratic excitement help Harris reset the race against Trump — CBS News poll

Boosted by Democrats, younger and Black voters becoming more engaged and likely to vote, and by women decidedly thinking she’d favor their interests more, Vice President Kamala Harris has reset the 2024 presidential race.  She has a 1-point edge nationally — something President Biden never had (he was down by 5 points when he left […]

Harris running-mate selection expected in next 48 hours

Vice President Harris interviewed at least three potential running mates on Sunday as the final hours before her self-imposed deadline to make her choice began ticking away. Harris will announce her vice-presidential pick by Tuesday night, when she and the candidate will appear in Philadelphia for the first of seven rallies over the course of […]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posts video saying he put a young dead bear in Central Park

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.acknowledged Sunday that he abandoned a young dead bear in Central Park after he initially planned to skin the cub for meat. Kennedy said in a three-minute video on X that The New Yorker magazine found out about the incident, the date of which is unknown, and asked him […]

The Rude Pundit: Hope and Weirdness on the Campaign Trail in 2024

As much as I still viscerally despise former president, shitty artist, and war criminal George W. Bush, the man pretty much nailed it early on when, referring to the inauguration speech of Donald Trump on January 20, 2017, he said, “That was some weird shit.” That speech, where Trump shit all over the three presidents […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast with Hal Sparks and Lindy Li – 8-2-24

StephCast F 8-2-24

Vance takes attacks on Harris’ record to the southern border

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance brought his fiery campaign rhetoric on immigration to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday as the Trump campaign drubs Vice President Kamala Harris over the Biden administration’s approach to border security.  Sharpening his attacks on Harris from the stump in recent days, Vance, the Republican senator from Ohio, visited an unfinished […]

Harris campaign’s vetting team has met with 6 potential VP picks as the selection process nears its end

The vetting team for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has met with six potential running mate contenders as her selection process nears its end, two sources familiar with the campaign said. The six contenders are Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly […]

Trump doubles down on false racial attacks on Harris, Republican senators squirm when confronted about it

Republican senators ABC News spoke with Thursday squirmed when asked about former President Donald Trump falsely questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity during his interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention a day earlier — as the former president doubled down on the false attack. In a social media post Thursday morning, […]

Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan greeted by President Biden, VP Harris after landing on US soil

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, are back on U.S. soil. As they stepped off the plane, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. The Americans were part of an extraordinary 24-prisoner exchange involving […]

StephCast Th 8-1-24

Kamala Harris blasts Trump’s claim that she ‘became Black’

At an event in Houston tonight for the historically Black sorority Sigma Gamma Rho, Harris said Trump’s comments at an appearance at an annual convention of Black journalists today were divisive and disrespectful. “It was the same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect,” Harris said. “And let me just say the American people […]

Accused 9/11 mastermind and 2 accomplices agree to plead guilty

Three men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, have reached plea agreements in the military commissions process, officials said Wednesday. Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi are scheduled to appear at a hearing at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, next week, according to the […]

UAW union endorses Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump

The United Auto Workers has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump. The union’s endorsement shouldn’t be surprising. UAW President Shawn Fain has been outspoken against Trump. The Detroit union also has historically supported Democrats, including President Joe Biden. It comes after Biden withdrew his re-election bid and endorsed Harris to become the Democratic nominee […]

Trump falsely accuses Harris of deciding to ‘turn Black’ during a combative panel with Black journalists

Donald Trump made a combative appearance Wednesday at a conference of Black journalists during a heated question-and-answer session that at times focused squarely on the race of Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump claimed that he did not know until a few years ago that Harris, who is Indian American and Black, was Black. He then […]

StephCast W 7-31-24

Malcolm Nance: Let Us Fight!

You are watching history.  We use this term a lot in the Trump era because of his repeated unprecedented silliness, but you are now in an era where decisions in our lives will be impacted individually.  Historic is not just the documentation of the acts but the feeling that you are taking part in something […]

JD Vance rallies in Nevada as Trump’s running mate is dogged by ‘childless cat lady’ comments

On the campaign trail in Nevada on Tuesday, Ohio Sen. JD Vance attacked Vice President Kamala Harris as “dangerously liberal” and reiterated former President Donald Trump’s pledge to launch mass deportation operations in his second term. Trump’s running mate is attempting to introduce himself to a national audience as the Harris campaign and other Democrats […]

Project 2025 winding down policy work following criticism from Trump

The Heritage Foundation official leading Project 2025 is stepping down and the group is winding down its policy work following sustained criticism by former President Donald Trump and his campaign. Trump’s campaign said in a statement Tuesday that the announcement should put on notice others trying to link themselves to Trump and that it “welcomed” […]

Harris derides Trump on border security at Georgia rally as GOP presses the issue

Vice President Kamala Harris, facing a new barrage of GOP attack ads seeking to define her early in her campaign, attacked back on immigration and border security before a fired-up crowd of thousands in an over-capacity arena Tuesday night. Through chants of “Kamala” aimed at her and “lock him up” aimed at former President Donald […]

StephCast T 7-30-24

The DNC’s virtual roll call to nominate Kamala Harris is this week. Here’s how the vote will work.

As soon as this Thursday, delegates in the Democratic Party will hold a virtual vote to select their new nominee. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to run unopposed. Here’s more on what it means and how the vote will work: Who gets to vote? The nearly 4,000 pledged delegates allocated during the Democratic primary process […]

Biden rips ‘extreme opinions’ as he pushes for Supreme Court reform in speech at LBJ Presidential Library

President Joe Biden on Monday visited the LBJ Presidential Library to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and gave remarks on his new proposals to reform the U.S. Supreme Court. The remarks were Biden’s first major speech since his Oval Office address last week on his decision to exit the 2024 race. […]

‘White dudes’ rally to elect the first female president

Some famous “white dudes” — including the guy who played “The Dude” — rallied in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, who would be the first female president if elected, in the inaugural event of a new group called White Dudes for Harris on Monday night. The name may be a bit facetious, but the […]

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper backs out of consideration to be Kamala Harris’ running mate

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has informed Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign that he does not want to be under consideration in her search for a vice presidential candidate, he said Monday night. Cooper said in a statement explaining his decision that although he was taking himself out of consideration, he’s still backing Harris’ candidacy.   […]

Charlie Pierce: President Biden Is Getting Serious About Supreme Court Reform

Somebody in the White House woke up over the weekend and discovered that they had been transported to the golden sunshine and verdant fields of DGAF Island. After several decades spent in the throes of Institutional Love as regards the Supreme Court, the president who, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, couldn’t bring himself […]

StephCast M 7-29-24

At least 12 killed, including children, in Golan Heights rocket attack; Israel and U.S. blame Hezbollah

A rocket attack Saturday on a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed at least 12 children and teens, and wounded several others, Israel said, hours after an Israeli airstrike on south Lebanon killed three members of the militant Hezbollah group. The strike, the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since the fighting between the […]

Pete Buttigieg Spots 2 Blunt Exceptions To Trump’s Knack For ‘Broken’ Promises

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg listed off several instances where Donald Trump“broke his promise” on Sunday but named two that the former president kept to Americans. “He kept his promise to destroy the right to choose in this country and he kept his promise on tax cuts for the rich,” Buttigieg told Fox News host Shannon […]

Trump Denies Changing For The Better After Assassination Attempt

Former President Donald Trump warned that the July 13 assassination attempt on him may have made him “worse.” “I want to be nice,” Trump told rally-goers in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Saturday. “They all say, ‘I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed since two weeks ago. Something affected him.’” “No, I haven’t changed,” he […]

Harris sees boost in favorability after Biden drops out of race: POLL

Vice President Kamala Harris is enjoying a bounce in her favorability rating among Americans just days after President Joe Biden bowed out of the presidential race and endorsed her, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday. The vice president’s favorability rating has jumped to 43%, with an unfavorability rating of 42%, according to the […]

The Rude Pundit: Harris, the Democrats, and Biden Take Back the Narrative at Last

Vice President Kamala Harris’s first rally speech yesterday as the presumed Democratic nominee for president was remarkable for several reasons. In Milwaukee, which was a special fuck-you to the savage Republican National Convention that was there last week, you could watch in real time as she grew into the role of nominee, moving from slightly […]

StephCast F 7-26-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Allison Gill & Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)

StephCast Th 7-25-24

StephCast W 7-24-24

StephCast T 7-23-24

Harris Clinches Majority of Delegates as She Closes In on Nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to assert herself as the de facto Democratic nominee for president on Monday, her first full day as a candidate, as virtually every potential remaining rival bowed out and she clinched the support of enough delegates to win the nomination. The Associated Press said late Monday that Ms. Harris […]

StephCast M 7-22-24

The Rude Pundit: At the RNC, the Rapist Finally Speaks

The delegates at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee finally got to hear from the rapist last night. Of course, the rapist is a former president, elected when it was suspected he was a rapist, and now the presidential nominee of the Republican Party, which happened after he was adjudicated to be a sexual abuser […]

StephCast F 7-19-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Cliff Schecter & TN Rep. Gloria Johnson 7-19-24

Widespread technology outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world

A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday. Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. The website DownDectector, which tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded growing outages in services at Visa, ADT […]

Biden left feeling angry and betrayed by top Democratic leaders wavering on his campaign

President Joe Biden feels personally hurt and betrayed by the way so many Democrats, including some of the party’s top leaders, have left him hung out to dry as he faces the biggest crisis of his political career, according to two sources familiar with his thinking. And privately, many of those leaders have expressed doubts […]

Fact-checking Trump’s speech accepting the GOP nomination

Former President Donald Trump pitched a familiar worldview Thursday night: an administration that would stop wars, curb inflation and end illegal immigration. But his third Republican National Convention speech — the longest nomination acceptance address in modern history, at 93 minutes — included a series of false claims on topics from taxes to crime to […]

Trump savors convention crowd in rambling acceptance speech

Donald Trump on Thursday night formally accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in a speech heavy with references to the shooting he survived last week and elongated by ad-libbed applause lines and riffs — capping a long-anticipated moment that came only after a winding and dramatic campaign. Trump, now the first major-party presidential nominee who […]

StephCast Th 7-18-24

Malcolm Nance: Trump’s Ministry of Revenge and Retribution

Steve Bannon’s War Room Podcast has been the think tank behind the most radical and dangerous of Donald Trump’s fantasies about punishing liberalism and engaging in Civil War. So it’s no surprise that Kevin D. Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, went on to the war room to outline his plans for Project 2025. Even […]

Trump rally shooter was reported as a suspicious person an hour before opening fire, sources say

The gunman who opened fire at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally was reported as a suspicious person — and photographed — one hour before he began shooting, according to three sources familiar with a briefing for senators Wednesday. Secret Service and FBI officials shared a timeline of events that revealed troubling new details about […]

JD Vance calls for a ‘big tent’ GOP in VP nominee acceptance speech

Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a right-wing populist known for his unbending opinions, introduced himself Wednesday as a vice presidential candidate open to compromise and eager for unity, but unapologetically drawn to hot-button debates. “We have a big tent in this party, on everything from national security to economic policy,” Vance told Republican National Convention […]

Rep. Adam Schiff calls on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race

Rep. Adam Schiff, a prominent Democrat and leading candidate for Senate in California, urged President Joe Biden on Wednesday to “pass the torch” and exit the presidential race. “Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now […]

Biden tests positive for Covid-19 and will self-isolate in Delaware, White House says

President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday while he was in Las Vegas for a series of events, the White House said. In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden tested positive “following his first event in Las Vegas.” “He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” […]

StephCast W 7-17-24

Group of House Democrats pushes to delay Biden nomination

A band of House Democrats is seeking to halt the Democratic National Committee from quickly coronating Joe Bidenas the party’s presidential nominee before the August convention, warning that it could be seen as quashing the raging debate over whether Biden should stay at the top of the ticket. More than 20 Democrats have signed onto […]

Secret Service ramped up security after intel of Iran plot to assassinate Trump; no known connection to shooting

US authorities obtained intelligence from a human source in recent weeks on a plot by Iran to try to assassinate Donald Trump, a development that led to the Secret Service increasing security around the former president, multiple people briefed on the matter told CNN. There’s no indication that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin who attempted to kill the former president on […]

Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and more ex-rivals draw cheers as Trump boosters at GOP convention

Former President Donald Trump welcomed vanquished rivals at his Republican National Convention here Tuesday, keeping watch as, one by one, they stuck to a carefully stage-managed script of party unity. There was Nikki Haley, who took more than two months to endorse him after she ended her White House bid, speaking to “those who have some […]

Biden Considers Pushing for Major Changes to the Supreme Court

President Biden is seriously considering legislative proposals that would dramatically alter the Supreme Court, including imposing term limits and an enforceable code of ethics on the justices, according to a person familiar with the ongoing discussions. Mr. Biden’s proposals to overhaul the court, which could be unveiled in the coming weeks, would need congressional approval, […]

StephCast T 7-16-24

Trump rally shooter left few clues, baffling classmates and family as authorities search for motive

Authorities said Monday that they had accessed the phone of the person who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump and had completed searches of his car and his family’s home in suburban Pittsburgh as ongoing efforts to understand the shooter’s motives have so far come up empty. The FBI said its investigation remains in […]

Judge Dismisses Classified Documents Case Against Trump

The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case threw out all of the charges against him on Monday, ruling that Jack Smith, the special counsel who filed the indictment, had been given his job in violation of the Constitution. In a stunning decision delivered on the first day of the Republican […]

Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric plays a prominent role in first night of RNC

Some high-profile speakers on the first night of the Republican National Convention leaned into anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, doubling down on the party’s 2024 platform, which calls for keeping “men out of women’s sports” and ending “left-wing gender insanity.” Their speeches Monday especially targeted transgender and non-gender-conforming people. “Let me state this clearly: There are only two […]

Trump makes appearance at RNC Day 1 after being formally nominated with J.D. Vance

Former President Donald Trump appeared alongside his newly announced running mate Sen. JD Vance at the Republican National Convention Monday night, the first time Trump has been seen in public since Saturday’s shocking attempt on his life. The crowd cheered Trump, whose ear was bandaged after it was grazed by a bullet on Saturday at a rally […]

Charlie Pierce: Judge Aileen Cannon Finally Found A Reason To Dismiss The Pool Shed Papers Case

All the assembled awoke on Monday, the first day of the Republican National Convention, and found that the MAGA Fairy had left them a nice little breakfast bonbon as the prolonged farce that was Judge Aileen Cannon’s time in the spotlight came to its utterly predictable—and utterly dismal—end down in Florida. Having spent months trying […]

StephCast M 7-15-24

Congress demands answers from Secret Service after Trump assassination attempt

Top leaders in Congress quickly unified to rebuke a failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Saturday rally, demanding briefings and planning investigations into the incident that left the former president injured. “Congress will do a full investigation of the tragedy yesterday to determine where there were lapses in security and anything else that […]

Former firefighter killed at Trump rally hailed as a ‘hero,’ two more victims identified

A man killed at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday has been identified as 50-year-old former fire chief Corey Comperatore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Sunday. Two other Pennsylvania residents were also shot at the rally, Shapiro said. They were identified by Pennsylvania State Police as David Dutch, 57, […]

Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man

The man who authorities said attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania was a member of a local gun club and worked as a dietary aide at a nursing facility. The shooter, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was killed by at least one […]

‘We must stand together’: Biden calls on Americans to stop viewing their political opponents as enemies

President Joe Biden called on Americans to “lower the temperature” of political rhetoric in an address from the Oval Office on Sunday night, asking for more respectful discourse and civility in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. “Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy,” Biden said, but politics should never devolve […]

The Rude Pundit: Joe Biden Is Running and That’s That (Kind Of)

(Stick with me here. You’re gonna agree and disagree with me strongly throughout the next few scribblings, but stick with me.) I’ve been cagey, at best, about all this, so let me lay all my cards on the table here: I don’t think Joe Biden should be running for a second term as president of […]

StephCast F 7-12-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Kimberley Johnson & Trae Crowder – 7-12-24

Biden campaign lays out path forward to staff in internal memo

President Joe Biden’s campaign Thursday laid out what it views as its path to victory in an internal memo as the Democratic Party convulses over the fallout from his shocking debate last month. The memo, obtained by ABC News, is from campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who said that […]

Trump asks judge to toss out guilty verdict in hush money case after Supreme Court decision

Former President Donald Trump has asked a state court judge to toss out his criminal conviction in New York, pointing to the Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision that outlines when a former president must be shielded from prosecution. While the effort to toss out the jury’s verdict likely faces an uphill battle with Judge Juan […]

More Democrats call on Biden to step aside from 2024 race after his news conference

At least three more House Democrats called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race Thursday after his first solo news conference in months following the NATO summit. Even though Biden’s team felt optimistic about his performance, it remained unclear whether he did enough to repair the damage with members of his party […]

‘I’m in good shape’: Biden takes questions about his mental and physical fitness

President Joe Biden vigorously defended his fitness for office in a high-stakes press conference Thursday evening, fielding several questions about his age and calls for him to step aside. “I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president,” he said, adding that he believes he is the best candidate to beat former President […]

StephCast Th 7-11-24

Fake electors get tapped as GOP convention delegates

Seven battleground states are sending fake electors and others who worked to upend the 2020 election results to represent their state parties at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where they will officially anoint Donald Trump as their presidential nominee. The fake electors and other election deniers identified by CNN include several who are currently […]

George Clooney, who co-hosted recent Biden fundraiser, says president should step aside in 2024 election

Actor George Clooney, who just weeks ago hosted a fundraiser for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, called for the president to exit the 2024 race in a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday. “I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe […]

Ocasio-Cortez introduces impeachment articles against Supreme Court’s Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York introduced articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito on Wednesday, ramping up Democrats’ disapproval of the high court in the wake of ethics issues and a spate of major decisions at the close of its latest term.  It is all but certain that […]

Here’s how to watch Biden’s news conference Thursday as he tries to quiet doubts after the debate

President Joe Biden will hold a news conference Thursday, the key event in a monumental week during which the Democratic incumbent is fending off calls for him to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee following a shaky debate performance. It’s just the type of event that many political watchers have said Biden needs to […]

StephCast W 7-10-24

Biden saw a drop in the polls post debate, but there might be hope on the horizon

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are voicing their concerns that President Joe Biden’s poor public approval ratings will hurt the party’s prospects for retaining the Senate, which they control by a 51-49 majority, and winning back the House, where Republicans have a 219-213 majority. Biden faces a critical week as he tries to shore up a […]

Biden, on Call With Mayors, Works to Shore Up Democratic Support

President Biden held a video call with nearly 200 Democratic mayors on Tuesday night, reiterating that he was staying in the presidential race, reminding the city leaders how best to support his campaign and discussing his second-term agenda. Mr. Biden, his campaign and the White House have been working to dismiss and defuse Democratic criticisms […]

Congressional Democrats meet amid simmering concerns over Biden reelection

Democrats in Congress met Tuesday as lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill this week for the first time following President Biden’s calamitous debate last month, which has prompted concern among the party about the path forward and calls for Mr. Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.  During what’s shaping to be a critical week in […]

Biden launches NATO summit by pledging new air defense support for Ukraine

Eager to turn the page from questions about his mental fitness, President Joe Biden on Tuesday officially opened NATO’s Washington Summit by announcing what he called a “historic donation” of critical new air defense capabilities to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia. “Putin wants nothing less — nothing less than Ukraine’s total subjugation, to end Ukraine’s […]

StephCast T 7-9-24

RNC committee adopts GOP’s 2024 policy platform — including on abortion

The Republican National Committee’s platform committee adopted a new GOP platform on Monday — and it softens language on the issue of abortion, marking a shift in the party’s stance to more closely align with the views of former President Donald Trump. The platform says that Republicans “will oppose Late Term Abortion while supporting mothers […]

Biden sends defiant letter to Democrats says time to end questions, come together

In a lengthy letter to Democrats, President Joe Biden on Monday says it is time for the party to come together so it can have the best chance at beating Donald Trump. “The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end,” Biden […]

White House doctor offers explanation for Parkinson’s expert’s visits

In a letter released late Monday night by the president’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, he confirmed that Dr. Kevin Cannard, the Parkinson’s expert who visited the White House eight times in an eight-month span, “was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals.” Canard’s visits to the White House don’t […]

Ahead Of Key Meeting, Many House Democrats Still Ridin’ With Biden

Skeptics of President Joe Biden and his ability to weather a tough presidential campaign ahead may be getting the spotlight, but the president on Monday retained the trust of many House Democrats, including in key parts of the party. House Democrats are set to have their weekly party meeting Tuesday morning, their first since the […]

Charlie Pierce: Get a Load of This Proposal to Replace Biden on the Democratic Ticket

The news site Semafor got hold of a memo containing a proposal for how the Democratic party should select its replacement candidate should the president decide to leave the race. Believe me when I tell you this: You could put the Ringling Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey to work on the problem and they couldn’t come […]

StephCast M 7-8-24

Schiff says Biden has to ‘win overwhelmingly’ or pass the torch, adds VP Harris could win against Trump

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Sunday said Vice President Kamala Harris could “overwhelmingly” win against former President Donald Trump but that President Joe Biden must decide whether he will remain in the race as the Democratic Party’s nominee amid backlash over his disastrous debate performance. Asked about polling that showed Harris outperforming Trump if she replaced […]

Senior House Democrats tell Jeffries they’re privately calling for Biden to step aside: Sources

At least four senior House Democrats told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday that they are calling on President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential race, according to several sources with knowledge of the discussion on the private call. Reps. Jerry Nadler, Mark Takano, Joe Morelle and Adam Smith stated Biden should […]

Beryl strengthens to Category 1 hurricane, expected to make landfall in Texas

Beryl strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Sunday night, ahead of its anticipated arrival on the Texas coast, where it could bring a life-threatening storm surge and strong winds, U.S. forecasters said. The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to 75 mph late Sunday, upgrading it from its status as a tropical storm, according to the […]

France’s left-wing parties projected to finish first in parliamentary elections, keeping far right at bay

A tense alliance between France’s centrist and leftist parties has kept the far-right National Rally party at bay, according to exit polls, with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal set to resign. In a surprising upset for the far right, a bloc of left-wing parties is projected to finish first, while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance is […]

The Rude Pundit: The Supreme Court Launches an Attack on the United States… Democrats Need to Fire Back

I’ve been thinking about all the things that got us to this point, where the conservative super-majority on the Supreme Court felt free to overturn a 40-year precedent that allowed the government to actually function efficiently and then, in the same week, was just fucking fine in giving a president “absolute immunity” to commit crimes […]

StephCast W 7-3-24

SM Happy Hour Videocast with Harry Litman & Gen. Russel Honore – 7-5-24

Malcolm Nance: Terrified?! Time to Fight the Dictatorship

In Common Sense, Thomas Pain wrote, “These times that try men’s souls …”  This statement reflects at least 81 million Americans’ feelings today.  We are physically sick, bewildered, and despondent that American Democracy is ending without a fight. Donald Trump being held accountable led to a political backlash by a Supreme Court that decided they […]

Obama shares concerns after shaky debate, offers Biden his advice

Former president Barack Obama has privately told allies who have reached out to him that President Biden’s already-tough path to reelection grew more challenging after his shaky debate performance on Thursday — a harsher assessment of the presidential race than his public comments, according to several people familiar with his remarks. Obama separately spoke directly […]

President Joe Biden to sit down with ABC News on Friday for first TV interview since debate

President Joe Biden will sit down with ABC News on Friday for his first television interview since last week’s presidential debate. The president’s poor performance in the debate has garnered calls for him to drop out of the race by politicians on both sides of the aisle. Biden will speak to “Good Morning America” and […]

Biden blames international travel for poor debate performance, says he nearly ‘fell asleep on stage’

At a campaign fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, on Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden — for the first time — attributed his poor debate performance last week to the amount of foreign travel he did in June, according to notes from a small group of reporters permitted in the event. “I decided to travel around the […]

Trump’s Hush Money Sentencing Delayed Until September

Former President Donald Trump’s hush money sentencing will be delayed until September after his request to throw out his conviction. Judge Juan Merchan set a new sentencing date of Sept. 18, according to a Tuesday court filing. Trump was initially going to be sentenced July 11. The delay comes after Trump’s attorneys wrote a letter […]

StephCast T 7-2-24

Top Biden Officials Seek to Calm Donors: ‘Breathe Through the Nose’

President Biden’s top campaign brass on Monday tried to tamp down the panic that had captured his financial base in the campaign’s most formal outreach yet to its wealthiest supporters after last week’s damaging debate. In a Zoom audio call on Monday with about 500 members of the campaign’s National Finance Committee and some other […]

Steve Bannon reports to prison for contempt of Congress sentence

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon surrendered on Monday to law enforcement to begin his four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress. He entered the Federal Correctional Institute Danbury, in Danbury, Connecticut, shortly before noon to begin serving his sentence. The Supreme Court had on Friday denied Bannon’s request to remain out of prison during the […]

Trump seeks to postpone sentencing and set aside verdict in his hush money trial after the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling

Attorneys for Donald Trump indicated in a letter to the presiding judge in the former president’s hush money case that they want him to postpone sentencing and set aside the trial verdict following the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling Monday. The lawyers said they want to brief New York state Judge Juan Merchan on the […]

‘I dissent’: Biden attacks Supreme Court immunity ruling as emboldening a lawless president

President Joe Biden called the Supreme Court decision Monday providing some immunity for Donald Trump in his criminal election interference case “a terrible disservice to the people of this nation.” “This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one, […]

Charlie Pierce: We’re Going To Have To Talk About President Joe Biden, Candidate

As reluctant as I am to join the general scrum that resulted from the president’s desultory performance in last Thursday’s debate, the shebeen does have certain public responsibilities. However, let me say that rarely has my profession behaved so badly, and rarely has my low opinion of the Democratic Party’s essential backbone been so thoroughly […]

StephCast M 7-1-24

StephCast F 6-28-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) & Noel Casler

5 takeaways from striking Biden-Trump presidential debate

President Joe Biden delivered a halting performance in Thursday’s debate with former President Donald Trump — raising new questions about his future in an event largely viewed as a test of the two candidates’ fitness for office. The two debated a slate of policies on stage in Atlanta, though little new ground was broken. Much […]

Biden falters in high-stakes debate, Trump spews falsehoods

In a historic clash of personality and policy, Joe Biden and Donald Trump took the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election. The showdown provided a rare opportunity for both candidates to move the needle in what has been a stubbornly tight race for the White House, but at the end of […]

‘Total Nonsense’ And ‘Pure Fiction’: CNN Fact-Checker Exposes Trump’s False Debate Claims

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale offered a breathless breakdown of the misleading claims and false statements that Donald Trump made during his first 2024 presidential debate with President Joe Biden, which the network hosted in Atlanta on Thursday. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s list of false claims is “way, way longer” than the president’s, Dale noted […]

Former Uvalde school district police chief charged with child endangerment after shooting that killed 21

The former school district police chief in Uvalde, Texas, who oversaw the response to the 2022 elementary school shooting that killed 21 people, including 19 children, was arrested on a child endangerment charge, an official at the Uvalde jail said Thursday. Pete Arredondo, 52, was taken in by law enforcement officers and is accused of […]

Glenn Kirschner: The unmistakable evidence that Judge Cannon is unfit for Trump’s classified docs case

Each new development in Donald Trump’s federal criminal case in Florida makes it increasingly clear that the impartiality of presiding Judge Aileen Cannon might, as federal law puts it, “reasonably be questioned.” That’s important because the same statute — 28 U.S. Code Section 455 — provides that when a judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, […]

StephCast Th 6-27-24

POLITICS Trump and Biden’s first presidential debate of 2024 is today. Here’s what to know.

President Biden and former President Donald Trump will participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.  The debate, hosted by CNN, will be the first time either candidate has been on a debate stage since 2020. The debate will also be simulcast on other networks, including CBS […]

J.D. Vance says he’ll be disappointed if Trump doesn’t pick him as his running mate

Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio has long been considered one of Donald J. Trump’s top running mate choices and worked as hard as anyone to win the job — raising money for the campaign, speaking with a seemingly endless stream of cable news reporters and even sitting in the Manhattan courtroom with the former president […]

Corruption Law Allows Gifts to State and Local Officials, Supreme Court Rules

The Supreme Court limited the sweep of a federal law on Wednesday aimed at public corruption, ruling that it did not apply to gifts and payments meant to reward actions taken by state and local officials. The 6-to-3 ruling, which split along ideological lines, was the latest in a series of decisions cutting back federal […]

Supreme Court acknowledges accidentally posting Idaho abortion case document that may preview narrow Biden admin win

The Supreme Court acknowledged Wednesday that it inadvertently posted online a document related to a pending abortion case, which Bloomberg Law obtained before it was removed from the website. Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe confirmed that a document was “inadvertently and briefly uploaded” to the court website but added that the ruling “has not been […]

StephCast W 6-26-24

Trump gag order partly lifted in hush money case ahead of first presidential debate

The judge who presided over Donald Trump’s hush money triallifted some of the restrictions from his gag order Tuesday. New York state Judge Juan Merchan ruled two days before Trump isset to debate President Joe Biden for the first time in the 2024 campaign. Merchan’s ruling lifted restrictions on Trump’s ability to comment on the […]

Judge Cannon skeptical of Trump claim FBI mishandled Mar-a-Lago search

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon signaled Friday that Donald Trump’s legal team had not convinced her FBI agents offered false information to justify searching Mar-a-Lago — a potential blow to the former president’s efforts to disqualify key evidence in the classified documents case against him. Trump’s attorneys asked Cannon to grant what is known […]

Latimer ousts ‘Squad’ member Bowman in Democratic primary in New York

Westchester County Executive George Latimer resoundingly defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District on Tuesday night, according to an Associated Press projection, ousting a member of the far-left faction of his own party after a blistering contest that divided the candidates on race, class and the Middle East […]

Rep. Lauren Boebert wins GOP primary after switching districts

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., won her GOP primary Tuesday, NBC News projects, after she decided to run in a different district from the one where she narrowly won re-election in 2022.  Boebert defeated five other Republicans for the party’s nomination in Colorado’s 4th District, which opened up after Rep. Ken Buck announced this year that […]

StephCast T 6-25-24

Trump Suggest Biden Take a Drug Test As Allies Continue Attacks Before Debate

Former President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that President Joe Biden should submit to a drug test before this week’s debate, building on his unfounded claims that his rival in the November presidential election would be “all jacked up” on illicit substances when they meet in Atlanta. “DRUG TEST FOR CROOKED JOE BIDEN???” Trump wrote […]

Julian Assange Agrees to Plead Guilty in Exchange for Release, Ending Standoff With U.S.

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, agreed to plead guilty on Monday to a single felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security material in exchange for his release from a British prison, ending his long and bitter standoff with the United States. Mr. Assange, 52, was granted his request to appear before a […]

Inside Biden’s Camp David Debate Prep

At Camp David, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. At least 16 current and former aides, summoned from Washington and Wilmington, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join President Biden in strategy sessions. Mr. Biden is entering his […]

‘I don’t appreciate your tone’: Judge in Trump documents case reprimands prosecutor

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s classified documents case reprimanded a prosecutor from special counsel Jack Smith’s office at a hearing Monday on a proposed gag order for the former president. “I don’t appreciate your tone,” U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said when attorney David Harbach appeared to get exasperated as she questioned the need […]

Charlie Pierce: It’s Unfortunately Time To Get To Know The Heritage Foundation’s ‘Project 2025’

Let us reanimate an old, beloved Monday feature of the shebeen that we used to call, What Are The Gobshites Saying These Days? We do so to memorialize the epochal encounter on Sunday between Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, and Symone Sanders-Townsend of MSNBC. Roberts quite openly—if not honestly—explained Heritage’s planned demolition of […]

StephCast M 6-24-24

Heat wave sizzles parts of the country as floods and severe weather force people from their homes

Little relief appears on the forecast for millions across the United States enduring record-setting heat or widespread flooding this weekend.  The National Weather Service said Sunday that the heat wave will shift from the mid-Atlantic to portions of the southeast and southern Plains by Monday. Meanwhile, widespread storms will bring the threat of flash flooding, […]

‘Everything is at stake’ for reproductive rights in 2024, Harris says

Vice President Kamala Harris says “everything is at stake” with reproductive health rights in November’s election as the Biden campaign steps up its focus on contrasting the positions taken by Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on the issue before their debate this week. Harris’ comments come as the campaign announced it would […]

‘Look At The Evidence’: Karl Rove Drops Bad News For Trump Live On Fox News

Longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove delivered some bad news to Donald Trump and his supporters over the weekend. “Take a look at the evidence,” he said on Fox News on Saturday when asked if polls have shifted since the former president’s conviction last month on 34 charges in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. He […]

Trump says he knows who his vice presidential pick will be

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday that he knows who his vice presidential pick will be — and gave a clue about his or her likely debate night plans. Asked by NBC News at a Philadelphia campaign stop whether he has decided on his vice presidential pick, Trump responded, “In my mind, yeah,” adding that […]

StephCast F 6-21-24

SMHH VideoCast with Fernand Amandi & Steve Marmel – 6-21-24

Netanyahu and White House continue public disagreement over claim US withholding weapons amid Israel’s war with Hamas

The public war of words between Israel and the U.S. continued Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding pointedly to the White House after the Biden administration again denied his claim the U.S. is withholding weapons from Israel amid its fight in Gaza with Hamas. His response came shortly after White House National Security Council […]

Biden campaign picks right-side podium for CNN debate, Trump will have the last word

President Joe Biden won the coin toss to secure a podium position on the right side of the stage during the CNN debate next week, but by doing so gave Donald Trump the final closing statement of the 90-minute matchup. According to CNN, the coin landed on tails — the side chosen by the Biden […]

Judge In Trump’s Documents Case Rejected Peers’ Calls To Step Aside: Report

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the Donald Trump appointee assigned to his classified documents case, rejected calls from more experienced judges to step aside from the case, The New York Times reported Thursday. Two of Cannon’s more seasoned colleagues on the federal bench in Florida, including the chief judge in the state’s southern district, reportedly […]

Supreme Court Turns Back Stealth Attack On Wealth Tax — For Now

The Supreme Court issued a narrow 7-2 ruling on June 20 rejecting a sweeping constitutional argument that a wealthy Washington state couple brought before them that was viewed as a stalking horse aimed at preemptively striking down a future tax on wealth. The couple, Charles and Kathy Moore, had challenged the constitutionality of the Mandatory […]

The Rude Pundit: Louisiana Wants to Put a Sign About F***ing in Kindergarten Classrooms

The state of Louisiana, with its overwhelmingly batshit insane Republican legislature and its even more bugfuck insane Republican governor, have passed a law that requires all public-funded schools, including universities, to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. In case you don’t know, the Ten Commandments are from the fictional book known as “The Bible.” […]

StephCast Th 6-20-24

Trump Tries to Set Expectations, and Floats Excuses, for His Debate With Biden

A few minutes into his speech at a campaign rally on Tuesday, Donald J. Trump asked a question of the few thousand who’d turned up to hear him speak. “Is anybody going to watch the debate?” Mr. Trump was in Racine, Wis., but it was clear his mind was in Atlanta, the site of his […]

Witness tells House Ethics Committee that Matt Gaetz paid her for sex: Sources

In recent weeks, House Ethics Committee investigators have conducted a string of interviews behind closed doors with numerous women who were witnesses in the yearslong Justice Department sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, multiple sources familiar with the committee’s work tell ABC News. Investigators have interviewed at least half a dozen women who allegedly […]

White House Responds To Netanyahu’s Claim Of The U.S. Withholding Weapons From Israel

The White House on Tuesday responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allegations that the Biden administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition from his country over the past few months. “We genuinely do not know what he’s talking about,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “We just don’t.” In a 49-second video […]

New Louisiana law requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom

Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law Wednesday. The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments in a “large, easily readable font” be in all public classrooms, from kindergarten […]

StephCast W 6-19-24

North Korea’s Kim declares ‘full support’ for Russian war in Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un assured Russian President Vladimir Putin of his “full support and solidarity for the Russian government, army and people” in the war in Ukraine, as the two leaders began talks in Pyongyang filled with exhortations about their “fiery friendship.” Kim did not elaborate on what that support might look like […]

‘I love Milwaukee’: Trump tries to make up with the ‘horrible’ city

Donald Trump went to Wisconsin on Tuesday to rail against President Joe Biden’s new immigration measures and rally the MAGA base. But first, he had to convince them he didn’t think the state’s largest city was “horrible,” after all — and to dispute reports he planned to stay in Chicago, not the host city of […]

Biden Gives Legal Protections to Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens

President Biden on Tuesday granted far-reaching new protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been living in the United States illegally for years but are married to American citizens. Under the new policy, some 500,000 undocumented spouses will be shielded from deportation and given a pathway to citizenship and the ability to work […]

Republican senator blocks ban on bump stocks for guns brought by Democrats

Senate Democrats sought to pass legislation Tuesday banning bump stocks for firearms after the Supreme Court overruled a previous ban, but a single Republican objected on behalf of his party, effectively stalling the bill. Backed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., sought “unanimous consent” to pass his BUMP Actthat would prohibit […]

StephCast T 6-18-24

Democrats launch summer spending blitz highlighting state legislative races

The presidential election is taking up much of the political oxygen in 2024. But Democrats are urging voters not to forget the importance of state legislative races — and they’re spending big to make sure they don’t. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the Democrats’ campaign arm for state legislative races, launched a $10 million spending […]

1st Biden-Trump debate will include microphone muting, coin flip and more

With less than two weeks until the first presidential debate, CNN announced the rules agreed on by both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump‘s campaigns. They include microphone muting, a coin flip and more when the two candidates face off at the network’s Atlanta studio on June 27. The debate, which is being moderated by […]

Steve Bannon won’t be spending his prison term in a ‘Club Fed’ as he had hoped, sources say

When former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon goes to prison, he won’t be serving time at what’s known as a “Club Fed,” the most comfortable type of facility in the federal system, as he had wanted, according to people familiar with the arrangements. Instead of a minimum-security prison camp, where many nonviolent offenders serve their time, Bannon – now a right-wing […]

Netanyahu Dissolves War Cabinet After Key Partner Bolts Government, Israeli Officials Say

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential War Cabinet that has overseen the fighting in Gaza, a government spokesperson said Monday, days after a key member of the body bolted from the government over frustration with the Israeli leader’s handling of the war. The move was widely expected following the departure of Benny Gantz, […]

Charlie Pierce: The Democrats Are Doing Self-Destructive Oversharing Again, This Time About Hunter Biden

This is the kind of thing that makes me crazy. Why do Democrats insist on doing this? Why can’t they simply figure out that the press is not their friends? They believe in the notion of a “liberal media” more than most Republicans do. From Axios: When Biden declared for president in 2019, his family […]

StephCast M 6-17-24

Biden campaign plans robust push centered on reproductive rights ahead of Dobbs decision anniversary

The Biden campaign plans to mark the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the federal right to abortion by barnstorming the country with messaging and events aimed at contrasting President Joe Biden’s views with those of former President Donald Trump, according to information shared […]

Biden, Obama raise more than $30 million at glitzy L.A. event

President Biden and former President Obama railed against former President Trump, touted the Democratic incumbent’s policy achievements and slipped in a few jokes at a Saturday night fundraiser in downtown Los Angeles that shattered Democratic fundraising records. “I could have done nothing and done better than him,” Biden replied when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who […]

Trump confuses the name of his doctor when bragging about taking a cognitive test

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday confused the name of his former White House physician just moments after he said President Joe Biden should take a cognitive test. The mix-up happened as Trump bragged that he had “aced” a cognitive test. Trump also criticized Biden, saying, “I think he should take a cognitive test like […]

Biden warns Trump could select two more Supreme Court justices if re-elected

President Joe Biden on Saturday night warned about the possibility of former President Donald Trump appointing two new Supreme Court justices if he wins the presidency in November. “The next president is likely to have two new Supreme Court nominees — two more,” Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles, adding that Trump […]

StephCast F 6-14-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with JoJo From Jerz & Lindy Li – 6-14-24

Trump, Back in Capitol, Has Thoughts on Taylor Swift, Nancy Pelosi and Milwaukee

Even hours later, few people could agree on what, exactly, former President Donald J. Trump said about Milwaukee when he met with House Republicans in Washington on Thursday. But on a day when Mr. Trump returned to Capitol Hill to unite congressional Republicans behind him, more than three years after a group of his supporters […]

Senate Republicans block Democratic bill to protect IVF nationwide

Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led bill Thursday to codify broad federal protections for in vitro fertilizationin the midst of a growing partisan clash over reproductive rights in the United States. The vote was 48-47, with just two Republicans voting for it: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Others in the GOP said […]

Clarence Thomas took additional undisclosed trips paid for by GOP megadonor, Senate committee says

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was given additional undisclosed trips by a GOP megadonor that were not included in his financial disclosure forms, according to documents the Senate Judiciary Committee released Thursday. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary Committee, released records about gifts of private jet travel provided by Thomas’ billionaire […]

Supreme Court rejects bid to restrict access to abortion pill

In a blow for anti-abortion advocates, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, meaning the commonly used drug can remain widely available. The court found unanimously that the group of anti-abortion doctors who questioned the Food and Drug Administration’s decisions making it easier to access the pill did not […]

The Rude Pundit: Conservative Plans for a Next Trump Presidency Are Dumb and Frightening

(Note: I wrote this originally over on my subscriber-only Patreon page, where you can join starting at a buck a month, with more treats for $3 and $5 per month subscribers. You can even pay for a year in advance which gets you a fancy discount. Join the smart rudesters there now.) The nutzoid right-wing […]

StephCast Th 6-13-24

Pentagon downplays Russian warships arriving in Cuba

The Pentagon is downplaying Wednesday’s arrival of four Russian Navy ships in Cubaas U.S. officials acknowledge that U.S. Navy ships “actively monitored” the Russian ships as they made their way to a port of call in Havana. At the on-camera Pentagon press briefing, spokesperson Sabrina Singh downplayed the Russian naval flotilla’s arrival in Havana noting […]

G7 leaders huddle in Italy, escaping political peril at home

When the Group of 7 pose for its ritual family photo Thursday on the rocky Adriatic coast of Italy, the image will not be of leaders at the height of their political strength. Instead, nearly to a person, the leaders assembling at a luxury resort in Puglia find themselves weakened at home by elections, scandal […]

House Republicans vote to hold Garland in contempt over Biden interview audio

House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon passed a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur on his handling of classified documents. The final vote was 216 to 207. Rep. David Joyce of Ohio was the only […]

Inflation Flat In May As Gas Prices Subside, Giving White House, Markets A Boost

Consumer prices held steady in May, helped by a drop in what drivers paid at the gas pump, the government said Wednesday in a bit of welcome news for the White House worried about inflation’s impact on President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. The consumer price index, the most high-profile measure of inflation, was unchanged from […]

StephCast W 6-12-24

Malcolm Nance: SNEAK PREVIEW… “Thinker, Sailor, Blackman, Spy – Memoir of an Intelligence Warrior”

Welcome to Baby Spy School. Get out your notebooks, kids. It’s the micro-history of Espionage. Read the rest of Malcolm Nance’s book preview and subscribe to his Substack

Nancy Mace Defeats G.O.P. Challenger, Dealing Blow to McCarthy’s Revenge Tour

Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, on Tuesday defeated a well-funded primary challenger, putting her on track to win a third term. Her resounding victory also dealt a major blow to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s efforts to exact political retribution against those who voted to oust him. Ms. Mace, 46, who once leaned center […]

Republicans set to expand House majority with victory in Ohio special election

Republican Michael Rulli will win the special election for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, helping his party expand its narrow House majority. Rulli, a Youngstown-area state senator and an executive for his family’s grocery store chain, is projected to defeat Democratic Air Force veteran Michael Kripchak in the race for the sprawling district along the Ohio River in eastern […]

The ‘Chilling’ Trump Plan That Could Pave The Way For Authoritarianism

Donald Trump has no greater enemy than the United States’ federal bureaucracy — what he calls the “deep state.” And he has a plan to bend it to his will if he’s elected in November. The plan, to create something called “Schedule F,” would make tens of thousands of civil servants easier to fire, fundamentally […]

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, found guilty on federal gun charges after a trial that laid bare his addiction struggles

A jury Tuesday found Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, guilty on three felony gun charges after a weeklong trial that focused on his history of drug addiction. Biden was charged in federal court in Wilmington with three felony counts tied to possession of a gun while using narcotics; he had pleaded not […]

StephCast T 6-11-24

Donald Trump completes mandatory presentencing interview after less than 30 minutes of questioning

Donald Trump completed his mandatory presentencing interview Monday after less than 30 minutes of routine, uneventful questions and answers, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The former president was quizzed by a New York City probation […]

Judge Strikes One Element From Trump Indictment in Documents Case

A federal judge on Monday slightly narrowed the classified documents case against former President Donald J. Trump, saying prosecutors cannot charge him based on an episode in which he is said to have shown a highly sensitive military map to a political adviser months after leaving office. The decision by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, […]

Jury deliberations begin in Hunter Biden’s criminal trial after prosecutors cite ‘overwhelming’ evidence

Jury deliberations began Monday in the federal criminal trial of Hunter Biden after prosecutors laid out what they described as “overwhelming” evidence against the president’s son as he faces gun charges. The panel deliberated for about an hour in the late afternoon before it was sent home for the day. Abbe Lowell, Biden’s attorney, urged […]

Justice Alito Caught on Tape Discussing How Battle for America ‘Can’t Be Compromised’

Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right — discussing the difficulty of living “peacefully” with ideological opponents in the face of “fundamental” differences that “can’t be compromised.” He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to “return our country to a place of godliness.” And […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump Spent the Weekend Warning a Crowd in the Las Vegas Desert About Shark Attacks

It was a target-rich weekend for those of us who collect the loose and loony aspects of modern conservative rhetoric. Of course, with the former president* holding an outdoor rally in a pasture outside Las Vegas with the temperature clearing 100 degrees, there were bound to be some very large nuggets to be gathered. Put […]

StephCast M 6-10-24

European Parliament tilts right; Macron calls snap elections in France

Early forecasts in the European Parliament elections on Sunday showed voters punishing ruling centrists and throwing support behind far-right parties, most notably in France, where disastrous results for French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition prompted him to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections. Although a combination of centrist, pro-European parties was projectedto maintain a […]

In Las Vegas, Trump Appeals to Local Workers and Avoids Talk of Conviction

Former President Donald J. Trump stood in blazing heat in a Las Vegas park on Sunday and directly appealed to working-class voters by promising to eliminate taxes on tips for hospitality workers. But beyond that proposal, little at Mr. Trump’s campaign rally suggested that his new status as a felon had changed his message. And […]