Talking Points Memo

Former Trump defense attorney Lindsey Halligan was reportedly sworn in as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Monday after the president forced out her predecessor for failing to turn up wrongdoing with which to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and other public … Trump Assigns His Former Defense Attorney to the ‘Find Charges to Bring Against Letitia James’ Beat Read more

The Trump administration is preparing to bail out the Argentine economy, whose current President is Trump ally Javier Milei. Says Reuters, “Markets have been roiled by corruption allegations inside Milei’s circle and a larger-than-expected loss in a local election in Buenos Aires …”

Over the weekend we had a confluence of three stories which together illustrate where the federal government is eight months into the second Trump administration. 1. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was either fired or resigned under pressure (probably the latter) for his refusal/inability … State of Play, DOJ EditionRead more

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.  An early episode of South Park features a subplot in which tiny gnomes sneak into the houses of South Park residents in order to steal their underpants. When asked why, they explain that collecting underpants … Don’t Give Donald Trump’s Half-Baked Elections Plans More Juice Than They Deserve 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. Operation Fast Casual Buried by Trump DOJ In a blockbuster weekend story, MSNBC reported that the Trump Justice Department shut down a bribery investigation of Tom … Emil Bove Shut Down Bribery Probe of Trump Border Czar Tom HomanRead more

This story about public school funding was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter. ASHE COUNTY, N.C. — In the time it took to read an email, the federal money vanished before Superintendent Eisa Cox’s eyes: … Poor, Conservative School Districts Are Getting Hit Hard By the GOP’s Funding FreezeRead more

Hello it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender ☕️ To some extent, every new excess by the Trump administration is unsurprising to us, the writers and editors of Talking Points Memo, and, I imagine, to you, our readers. These guys told us what they were going to do, … The Trump Admin’s ‘Free Speech’ Struggle SessionRead more

We live in an age of monsters: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, the Ellison family, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, the sundry billionaires who don’t own apps. This may sound like a caustic and dramatic comment coming from me. Some of them are genuine monsters: Musk, Trump, probably Thiel. In … The Age of MonstersRead more

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at Balls and Strikes.  On Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court decided that it has no power to protect Black voters from partisan gerrymandering, dismissing a challenge to the state’s congressional district map as … Nancy Mace Can Thank John Roberts for Keeping Her Congressional Seat SafeRead more

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.  This week, two moments revealed the front lines of America’s immigration fight. In New York, 11 state legislators were among more than a dozen elected officials arrested after demanding entry to overcrowded Immigration and Customs … State Lawmakers Are Getting Arrested at Detention Centers and Yelling at Masked ICE Agents. Good.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. Peak Retribution Alert It’s all coming together in President Trump’s push to find a way to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James: … Trump Poised to Fire US Attorney for Not Indicting Letitia JamesRead more

House Republicans passed their “clean” seven-week continuing resolution (CR) Friday morning on a largely party line 217-212 vote, setting up the Senate for a stalemate over government funding similar to what happened in March.

The House Oversight Committee voted Thursday to table a motion to subpoena Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr to testify about ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel due to the host’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing. The vote came down on party lines. Ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA), though, … Republicans Kill Attempt to Subpoena FCC Chair After Jimmy Kimmel SuspensionRead more

Despite their reluctance to fix a $1.1 billion hole they blew in Washington D.C.’s budget last March, House Republicans are now proposing filling the gap in their new continuing resolution. 

Let me start by noting the obvious: What we saw yesterday with Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension by ABC News was a brazen and unabashed attack on free speech in the United States in a way that was unimaginable until a few months ago. It manages to be both shameful … A Few Thoughts on KimmelGeddonRead more

Kate and Josh discuss the Charlie Kirk killing and its fallout, the Republicans’ stopgap bill and leadership’s refusal to endorse Zohran Mamdami.

If Congress wanted to push back against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, it could have done so at any time by voting to end the White House’s declaration of a national emergency, which, Trump claims, grants him sweeping trade powers. But Republicans have repeatedly ceded their authority over trade … Republicans Could Stop Trump’s Tariffs, But Keep Voting to Make Themselves PowerlessRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Into the Abyss Last evening reminded me of the night in early March 2020 when Tom Hanks and his wife Rita, abroad in Australia, were diagnosed … Convinced Yet That No One Is Safe From Trump’s Depredations?Read more

Fired Centers for Disease Control Director Susan Monarez endured a lot of weird questioning from Republicans during a hearing before the Senate Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Wednesday. But none were as bizarre as the line of questioning Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) tossed her way, accusing the former … Sen Markwayne Mullin Is Confused 🫥Read more

The killing of right wing activist and influencer Charlie Kirk has prompted disturbing and questionably legal calls for a crackdown on the left from President Trump and his allies. In an appearance on the cable network Newsmax on Tuesday evening, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) took things further — … Texas Congressman Says Trans People Need To Be Taken ‘Off The Streets’ After Charlie Kirk ShootingRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Prosecutors Turn Up Exculpatory Evidence A splendid bit of reporting this morning from the ABC News team. The main news is that Ed Martin and Bill Pulte have … Buffoonish Ed Martin Flails to Make His Bogus Case Stick Against Letitia JamesRead more

Congressional Democrats are expected to release their own, alternative continuing resolution today, which will include language to fight back against the Trump White House’s lawless impoundments and pocket rescission. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Wednesday morning said Democrats want to make sure that “the process that … Schumer Says Dems Will Demand a Halt to White House’s Spending Freezes After AllRead more

Neither of these deals have been realized. But I want to flag something on the horizon that is potentially a very big deal. Yesterday news broke that the White House has negotiated a purchase of TikTok by a consortium which includes Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz. The … Top Trump Ally May Soon Control TikTok and CNNRead more

It’s a minor point in this moment — as the leaders of the federal government brag that they’re preparing to investigate “the left” and journalists — but Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today got FBI Director Kash Patel to confirm a key detail about the extent to which the … Dem Senators Prod Patel to Acknowledge FBI is Coordinating With White House on PersonnelRead more

We’ve now heard the first official word about the murder of Charlie Kirk as part of the official charges brought against him today. I want to reiterate a point I made yesterday. Despite the concerted effort to portray Tyler Robinson as a proponent of “left-wing ideology,” as Kash … Was Robinson a Big Left Winger? That’s Not What the Evidence Says.Read more

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, is expected to be charged Tuesday afternoon for the fatal shooting of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last Wednesday. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray plans to hold a press conference around 2 p.m. ET. Charging documents are also expected … Tyler Robinson Expected to be Charged for Charlie Kirk KillingRead more

An appeals court ruled late Monday that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook could not be fired by President Donald Trump while his administration’s legal claims against Cook continue to play out in court. The decision upholds a lower court decision, which ruled the Justice Department’s charges against Cook … 5 Points on Trump’s High-Stakes Onslaught Against Fed Governor Lisa CookRead more

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Appeals Court Backs Lisa Cook … for Now In a late night ruling, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to block a lower court order that reinstated … Trump Loses Bid to Keep Lisa Cook off the Federal ReserveRead more

Sensing an opportunity, red states have passed a tranche of anti-trans laws, gunning to get some of them before the Supreme Court.

In remarks to the media on Sunday, President Trump made it clear he will continue to use the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk as grounds to investigate those he sees as his political foes. In fact, he suggested, that work is already underway.