Talking Points Memo

In a win for Republicans, a North Carolina Appeals court panel ruled on Wednesday that a piece of legislation designed to strip power from state level elected Democrats and give Republicans control of the state election board in an overt power grab, can take effect. 

Yesterday I excoriated Politico for a deeply ingenuous report on GOP Medicaid cuts, now presenting the matter as something congressional Republicans are trying to foist on a skeptical Trump. I also said that they were making up the idea that Trump has repeatedly pledged never to touch Medicaid … A Semi-CorrectionRead more

Despite the reams of documents, hours of hearings and the unlawful expulsion of Venezuelan detainees, no judge had ruled on whether the Trump administration can even apply the Alien Enemies Act to these alleged gang members — until Thursday. 

House Energy & Commerce Committee Republicans have begun their work of finding $880 billion in cuts to programs under the committee’s jurisdiction — which includes popular social safety nets like Medicare, Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — as House Republicans attempt to put together a reconciliation … Republicans Coalesce Around Medicaid Work Requirements, Pretending It Won’t Impact Millions Of Enrollees Read more

A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Kate and Josh check in on the polling, economy and judge arrests (!) after Trump’s first few months in office.

There’s been an emerging scandal in Florida for a few weeks now that directly affects not only Ron DeSantis but also his wife, Casey DeSantis, who is weighing a run to succeed Ron as governor. The gist of the scandal is the state of Florida settled an over-billing … The Other Side of the Trump DOJ’s House of CorruptionRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. The Hollow Man During his 15 years on the national political stage, Marco Rubio has never come across as a man with a consolidated moral center or core. … MAGA Marco Puts On A SCOTUS-Defying Show For TrumpRead more

I found this new piece in Politico about Medicaid politics genuinely jarring. Reporters Rachel Bade et al. concoct this alternative reality in which House Republicans are pressuring Trump to cut Medicaid while he’s deeply “wary” of doing so. As you’d expect, this story comes from “six White House … AmazingRead more

Here’s my latest hobby: looking at just how many constituents House Republicans, especially the so called “moderates,” want to strip of their health care coverage. Congressional Republicans are currently in hard negotiations and a game of chicken for how to pay for their big tax cut, which seems … Play ‘GOP Health Care Slaughterhouse’ with Your Own RepRead more

The New York Times put out a statement this afternoon defending itself against President Trump’s latest threat to go after the publication in court for reporting on information in ways that he does not like. It is difficult to put into words how bizarre and out of touch … Trump’s Latest Attack On The Press Involves Being Upset That They Cite Expert SourcesRead more

Despite a flurry of developments, Kilmar Abrego Garcia appears no closer to release from detention in El Salvador than he was a month and half ago when he was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration despite an immigration judge order barring his removal.  Today in the legal case … Where Things Stand Now In The Abrego Garcia CaseRead more

A newly released AJC poll shows support for Donald Trump falling to 43% in Georgia; disapproval 55%.

According to Punchbowl, Sen. Ron Johnson just announced he won’t support the reconciliation bill being written by House Republicans. He says there have to be $5 trillion in cuts to get his vote. And forget about the July 4th deadline. For perspective the House Freedom Caucus was demand … GOPers Are Telling Us Trump Looks WeakRead more

I’ve gotten a range of responses to yesterday’s post (“Trump’s Already Lost“) on Trump’s gambit and whether he’s already lost. There were a few specific questions, however, that came up again and again, that I wanted to answer.

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Abrego Garcia Case May Come To A Head Today The constitutional clash over Kilmar Abrego Garcia played out on national TV last evening with President Trump acknowledging that … Trump Dares SCOTUS To Do Something About His DefianceRead more

As my colleague Emine Yücel reported yesterday, President Trump’s plan for a rescissions package — which many presidents have successfully used since the 1970s to send unspent funding back to Congress — is a constitutionally backwards attempt to force down legislators’ throats the sweeping cuts to federal programs … Trump May Pause On Shoving DOGE Cuts Down Congress’ Throat; May Force Feed Medicaid Cuts InsteadRead more

There are a number of you who simply don’t agree with me about the role of public opinion in the battle against Trumpism, which I sketched out in yesterday’s Backchannel and in other posts over recent months. And that’s great. Because, among other reasons, you keep me on … Trump’s Already LostRead more

Amazon quickly scraps idea of listing costs from tariffs on product listings after White House attacks the idea.

A career federal prosecutor who was fired without reason last month in yet another stunning breach of the Justice Department’s independence from the White House is now challenging what he is calling an unlawful dismissal.

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. The Destruction: Civil Rights Edition If you know, you know. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has for nearly seven decades been at the forefront of some … Trump DOJ Decimates The Civil Rights Division And All It Stood ForRead more

During a widely covered weekend town hall at which New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler was forced to answer for the Trump administration’s many loathed and lawless actions, the Republican got more than an earful from residents of his swing district about the party’s intended cuts to Medicaid.

The White House is planning to send a rescission package to Capitol Hill in the coming days, part of an effort to give a figleaf of legitimacy to DOGE’s rampage through the federal government. The package makes use of a process intended to bring money approved by Congress … Trump Allies Prep Plan To Make DOGE Seem Like A Good, Normal, Law-Abiding OperationRead more

As I noted over the weekend, the arrival of Trump’s 100th day in office (April 30th), has been greeted by a raft of terrible polls. Most of the premium pollsters have fielded a poll to coincide with the 100 days milestone. The results range from the low 40s … Yes, Public Opinion Still Matters … Even More Than BeforeRead more

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. The Trump White House this month announced two new executive orders radically changing procurement procedures, especially defense procurement procedures, in ways that will unleash waste, fraud and abuse. These orders — which largely flew under … Trump Has Ordered Safeguards Stripped From Procurement As Pentagon Prepares To Spend $1 TrillionRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. The Deportation Cases Are Catalyzing Jurists U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana is among the handful of Trumpiest judges in America and even … Judges Are Starting To Catch On To Trump’s Utter LawlessnessRead more

This isn’t terribly surprising, given the broader budgetary situation at American universities, particularly in the sciences and biomedical research specifically. I’ve heard from faculty and graduate students at a number of schools around the country. Many programs are dramatically reducing the number of offers being made for PhD … The Sciences Training Pipeline Massively ImpactedRead more

Government Executive: “The Veterans Affairs Department is requiring all employees working on its plans to slash tens of thousands of workers from its rolls to sign non-disclosure agreements, an unusual move that has prevented supervisors from sharing basic information with staff.”

Question: I’m looking for examples of medical schools which may just have received a letter from the Justice Department demanding detailed records of the school’s admissions going back five years. If you have information: Signal joshtpm.99 or joshtpm at protonmail dot com. All comms confidential.

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. A Smoking Gun Document A newly unsealed court filing has revealed previously unknown details about the Trump administration’s operation to remove Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act … New Filing Blows Up Key Parts Of Trump’s Alien Enemies Act DefenseRead more

This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. The attacks on Judge John Barberis in the fall of 2016 appeared on his personal Facebook page. They impugned … The Untold Story Of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge—And Still Became A Top Trump ProsecutorRead more