Talking Points Memo

A few thoughts on yesterday’s antics. I imagine that in many parts of the world, yesterday’s Musk-Trump blow-up reminded people of the events of two years ago and the so-called Wagner Group Rebellion in which erstwhile oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin got increasingly cranky and finally started a military drive … Day-After Musings on the FeudRead more

The Trump administration is finally abiding by a court order and returning the wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States, ABC News reports, but in a face-saving maneuver it is criminally charging him for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants.

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. Despite all the military threats facing the United States, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decided to go to war with the gay community. During the first week of Pride Month, he ordered the Navy to rename … Why Is Pete Hegseth Going to War Against Harvey Milk, 48 Years After He Was Assassinated?Read more

The first public breakup of Trump II unfolded before our eyes this afternoon — a pinch-me moment for those of us who have long been waiting for this estrangement ❤️

We’ve clearly clarified that the Elon-Trump feud is real. I assume you’ve seen or heard about the back and forth social media salvos in which Trump has threatened to terminate Musk’s companies’ contracts. Musk has claimed responsibility for Trump’s election and claims Trump is in the “Epstein Files”. … Elon-Trump, Welcome to the ThunderdomeRead more

A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Kate and Josh discuss Musk’s big loser energy, Joni Ernst’s generational gaffe and the unprecedented corruption of the Trump regime.

We seem to be moving toward a bit more real animus between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Musk keeps attacking Trump’s budget bill on Twitter. Trump has now stopped saying they’re actually best buds. In comments today he’s saying, albeit very tepidly, that the friendship seems to be … The Stench of Loser Stuck on Mr ElonRead more

After being mostly scuttled by the Supreme Court, the original Alien Enemies Act case has re-entered the conversation.  While the high court took most of the Alien Enemies Act challenges out of the hands of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of D.C. and distributed them to the individual … 5 Points On Boasberg’s Big Alien Enemies Act Ruling Read more

I wanted to flag your attention to this Dave Weigel piece in Semafor. It’s about an event (“WelcomeFest”) put on by a centrist PAC called WelcomePAC, which is presenting itself as a kind of latter-day Democratic Leadership Council or punchy and centrist group focused on picking fights with … Thoughts on the ‘Centrist’ HoedownRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Another Crossing The Rubicon Moment In a new executive order, President Trump has unleashed his White House counsel and attorney general to conduct a wide-ranging investigation of his … In Historic First, Trump Orders Investigation Of Biden White HouseRead more

This article first appeared at ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about … ‘The Intern in Charge’: Meet The 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked To Lead Terrorism PreventionRead more

The White House finally sent over a rescissions package request — a move the administration has been dragging its feet on for months — asking Republicans in Congress to swallow a chunk of the sweeping cuts that Elon Musk has enacted with his DOGE destruction so far this … GOP Leadership Not Worried About Forcing Members To Go On Record On Worst Of DOGERead more

If you’ll remember back in March we ran a number of stories on the DOGE takeover of the U.S. Institute for Peace. The USIP is a unique entity, publicly funded but not part of the government. Certainly not part of the executive branch. That contention was the centerpiece … The US Institute of Peace Digs Out of Under DOGE’s Weed Stash and Tries to RebuildRead more

Two months ago, 25-year-old Ilia Chernov beat long odds and convinced an immigration judge to grant him political asylum in the U.S.  Normally, that finding would have been enough for Chernov to obtain legal status and live freely in the U.S. Chernov’s judge told him that he would … This Russian Dissident Won Political Asylum. ICE Refuses To Release Him.Read more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. First Came The Purges … It’s always the same with Trump. His attacks on his foes usually telegraph not what they’re doing, but what he plans to do … Donald Trump Sets Out To Create His Own Deep StateRead more

A few quick thoughts on the apparent falling out between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. I don’t have more than speculation on what these two guys are thinking or feeling. But the White House took a big swipe at Musk by canning Musk’s handpicked NASA chief the day … Is Musk vs Trump for Real?Read more

It’s not quite clear what is happening with former Missouri Congressman Billy Long and his associates at the federal Office of Personnel Management, where he has been a senior advisor to the director since March. 

Black-eyed and officially, allegedly on the outskirts of the Trump administration, Elon Musk is saying more about his recently discovered objections to the reconciliation package that passed the House last month and will make sweeping cuts to Medicaid if it makes its way through the Senate.

Over the weekend, I made the point that all the reanalyzing Democrats are doing is really wasted time and they need to start doing stuff, succeeding at doing stuff in 2025. I want to reiterate another point. I truly cannot imagine a bigger opening than the Trump Republican … Trump’s Pageant of Corruption is a Gift to the Democratic PartyRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. A Helluva Timeline The remarkable reporting by the NYT that the Trump White House hired a disgruntled Harvard Law student who was also serving as a would-be “whistleblower” … Trump White House Hires Harvard Law Review ‘Whistleblower’Read more

The Senate is poised to pass the GENIUS Act in the coming weeks. The bill will bestow upon the crypto industry a long-sought blessing: a key form of the digital currency, stablecoins, will now be subject to a bespoke (and notably light-touch) regulatory system created by Congress. With … Some Dems Warn Colleagues: Crypto Bill Could Inject Some 19th Century Chaos Into US EconomyRead more

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it didn’t take too kindly to the immigration policies of hundreds of municipalities across the country. It posted a list of “sanctuary cities,” jurisdictions that allegedly limit information-sharing and other forms of cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Unfortunately for … Kristi Noem Cowed By Sheriffs Into Retreating From Latest Anti-Immigrant BroadsideRead more

A few days back I got an email from TPM Reader JL asking me not to give in to the Luddite or reflexively anti-AI tendency he sensed I might have. It was a very interesting note and led to an interesting exchange because JL is far from an … Artificial Intelligence and The Posture of SkepticismRead more

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation. Poland’s presidential election runoff will be a bitter pill for pro-European Union democrats to swallow. The nationalist, Trumpian, historian Karol Nawrocki has narrowly defeated the liberal, pro-EU mayor of … Pro-Trump Candidate Wins Poland’s Presidential Election—A Bad Omen For The EU, Ukraine And WomenRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Trump Officials Blamed ‘Administrative Errors’ On May 7, just 28 minutes after a U.S. appeals court ordered that a Salvadoran man not be removed from the United States, … Appeals Court Tries To Get To The Bottom Of A 4th Wrongful DeportationRead more

This article first appeared at ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story. Under the watchful gaze of security guards, … ‘The Federal Government Is Gone’: Under Trump, The Fight Against Extremist Violence Is Left Up To The StatesRead more

I’ve been observing the on-going debates about which of the several “reckonings” Democrats need to have to improve their fortunes with what I can only describe as a mounting frustration and disgust. There’s the one over Joe Biden being old. There’s the one about Democrats becoming too “woke” … Democrats’ Hamlet Moment Isn’t the Start of a Solution But the Heart of the ProblemRead more

Hello it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender ☕️ Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought us so much, including sext scandals, bulls**t citations (more on that below), and admittedly bad medical advice. Now, the gravelly voiced political scion wants to bless us … The Saga Of RFK Jr., Dr. Oz, And The Possibly Infectious Canadian Ostrich WobbleRead more

We’re in the midst of a storm of articles – variously encomiums, valedictories, friendly morality tales – about Elon Musk’s purported departure from service in the federal government. I’m going to note a couple quite unflattering pieces in a moment. But for now I want to focus on … Don’t Fall For Elon Inc.’s Press CampaignRead more

The pattern of defiance is so familiar now that there is almost no benefit of the doubt left for federal judges to give the Trump administration. This morning, in one of the key cases in which the U.S. government has been ordered to “facilitate” the return of a … Judge Thwacks Trump Admin For Defying Her Order In Alien Enemies Act CaseRead more