Talking Points Memo

This is far from a novel thought. But it’s a timely one. We’re used to people who seem to think the 2nd Amendment is the whole Constitution. Others put the overriding focus on the 1st Amendment. But the one that deserves that focus is the 14th Amendment, the … Was There a Second Founding?Read more

The moment Donald Trump began his second term, researchers and independent citizens suited up for the war on data. They scrambled to preserve diversity, public health, and climate change-related government reports and webpages. They tracked the impacts of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) funding cuts and federal job … The Trump Administration Is Laying the Groundwork for a Full Takeover of Federal DataRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Things Have Escalated in D.C. The clumsy Trumpian takeover of D.C. has been as comical as it has been foreboding. The notion of FBI agents — not trained … D.C. Sues to Block Pam Bondi’s Newest Power Grab Over Local PoliceRead more

I had an interesting exchange with a TPM Reader this week about President Trump’s takeover of the DC Metro Police Department and his conjoined decision to deploy National Guard troops to the nation’al’s capital. This Reader’s argument was that it was a mistake to make a big deal, … What Lines Should We Draw? President or ConquerorRead more

The man who led a congregation that gave birth to the religious movement Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth now follows has a few principles for you to understand. A former Navy man, they’re informed by his career in the armed forces. But the kind of warfare he envisions … Pete Hegseth’s Pastor Wants ‘Spiritual Warfare’ Waged On AllRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. RIP USAID Yesterday brought another example of the extreme difficulty of litigating the constitutional structure of government in court and its inadequacy in reining in Trump’s lawless rampage … The Courts Can’t and Won’t Save Us, Part 805Read more

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has not been backing the historically bipartisan appropriations process used to compile the federal government’s budget for the next fiscal year in protest of the Trump administrations’ power grab on Congress’ power of the purse.

A reminder: The Josh Marshall Podcast featuring Kate Riga is back next Wednesday, August 20th, and back to our normal weekly schedule going forward.

It’s been clear since President Trump and his Fox News DC U.S. Attorney first announced that he was placing the Metropolitan Police Department under emergency federal control that he was trying to pull off another LA-style federal occupation of a city run by politicians he doesn’t like.

As Texas Democrats mull when and how exactly they will return to the state, potentially later this week — despite the fact that Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to keep calling for special sessions until his Trumped up congressional maps are approved — Texas Republicans’ efforts to outdo … Texas Republicans’ Bid to Out-Hard Ass Each Other ContinuesRead more

As you can see we hit our goal of raising $500,000 during this year’s drive. The drive will continue until later in the month. So if you didn’t get a chance to contribute, by all means the door remains very wide open. We can always put more dollars … We Did It. You Did It.Read more

I’m mildly fascinated by this piece in New York Magazine’s Intelligencer section. It’s the review of a new biography of Andrew, Duke of York, by a guy named Andrew Lownie. (The piece appears to be free for a limited time.) What sparked my interest is the major if … Was It Ghislaine All Along?Read more

When President Donald Trump toured Florida’s so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention camp on July 1, he cast its location in the Big Cypress National Preserve as a remote and inhospitable place.

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Punchier Headlines, Please The involvement of any White House in the content of the Smithsonian Institution crosses a critical line of politicization, let alone this White House, in … Trump Forces His Brand of ‘Americanism’ on the SmithsonianRead more

Our drive is currently at $499,844. The assist is in motion. Come in for the slam dunk. Click here.

President Donald Trump on Monday evening nominated a Heritage Foundation economist who has publicly criticized federal data collection at the Bureau of Labor Statistics to lead the agency.  On Tuesday, Fox Business published an interview with the nominee, E.J. Antoni, during which Antoni suggested halting the release of … BLS Commissioner Nominee’s Suggestion to Suspend Monthly Jobs Report Is ‘Like Gouging Our Eyes Out’Read more

Back in June, Major General Scott Sherman had a problem. He was in command of federalized California National Guard troops stationed in Los Angeles, and had received a bizarre request: immigration authorities wanted military vehicles and National Guard troops to support an operation targeting the city’s MacArthur Park … Behind The Scenes of Trump’s Haphazard Occupation of LARead more

After Friday and Monday’s BackChannels, full of the ominous progress of the Trump White House, we can see again today the dual nature of Trumpism, both predatory and absurd, methodical and feckless. The key to grappling with Trumpism is recognizing that both are simultaneously true and neither reality … Predator and Rake-Stomp, The Curious Folkways of Trump 2.0Read more

Just days after a federal appeals court cleared the way for President Donald Trump to yank dozens of agencies and government offices out of their contracts with federal labor unions, the administration commenced doing just that, terminating collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. On … Courts Let Trump Strip Collective Bargaining Rights From Huge Number of Federal WorkersRead more

Today marks four weeks since we kicked off this year’s annual TPM Journalism Fund drive. You can help us meet our goal today. We’re currently at $483,504, just under $17,000 short of our goal of raising $500,000. Want to help push us over the top? Just click right … So CloseRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Performative AND Substantive When his presidential reality show was cancelled after one season in 2020, Donald Trump was determined that the show’s 2025 reboot wouldn’t suffer from the … The Trump Presidency Reboot Suffers From Predictable PlotsRead more

This story 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. This is how misinformation gets accepted as fact. A year after Oregon endures its most destructive fire season on record in 2020, state lawmakers … How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk MapRead more

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.  When Texas Republicans announced plans for a mid-decade gerrymander to net them at least five more U.S. House seats, it set off a chain reaction. Texas Democrats left the state to break quorum. Democratic governors … Blue State Dems Are Having an Overdue Reckoning With Their Own PowerRead more

After months of rigamarole beginning with the April 2 threat of widespread “Liberation Day” tariffs, President Donald Trump’s administration finally levied import taxes against more than 70 countries on Thursday. Now it’s up to the courts to decide whether those tariffs will stay in place. Trump launched his … 5 Points On the Court Cases That Could Undo Trump’s TariffsRead 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 Capitulation for the Ages It’s hard to overstate the significance of Friday’s appeals court ruling by two Trump appointees short-circuiting the criminal contempt of court proceeding in … How Judges Held One of Their Own Out to Dry in Historic AEA CaseRead more

For at least the next 30 days, the Trump administration will control local law enforcement in D.C.

I want to let everyone know that The Josh Marshall Podcast will be returning on August 20th, back to our regular weekly schedule and excited to be back.

President Trump’s decision today to federalize the DC police and deploy National Guard troops to the city is a good reminder of the importance of what we discussed Friday: the necessity for the political opposition to narrate Trump’s abuses of power and the contents of the U.S. Constitution, … Some Thoughts on the Consent of the GovernedRead more

I’m subbing in for the incomparable Nicole Lafond today and tomorrow as she takes a well-deserved break.

No big push from me today. But I am really happy to see and really happy to report that we’re now highly likely to reach our goal in this year’s TPM Journalism Fund drive. We needed/need to raise $500,000 this year. And we’re currently at $458,443 after three … We’re Going to Get ThereRead more