Trump’s propaganda princess books new gig
Fox News announced on Monday that it has hired former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She left her position in August and said she intended to spend more time with her children. A handful of months later, she will now be on the payroll of the leading source of right-wing propaganda, opining on-air as a contributor. Leavitt becomes the third person who has served as Trump’s press…
There are far more Trump propaganda ads than we thought
We all know that President Donald Trump has been inserting himself into your television by running partisan campaign ads, and we even know he appears to have stolen $20 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for them. Reportedly, he insisted that taxpayer dollars be used because, look, this man is never going to spend a dime of his own money now, is he? But as the steady drip of revelations…
Trump turns to disgraced pollster for proof GOP will win
President Donald Trump is now making the argument that Republicans will do well in this year’s midterm elections by citing a pollster with an amazingly bad history of election predictions, Dick Morris. “The Polls have ALWAYS underestimated MAGA. They try to suppress the Vote, but I won all 7 Swing States, the Popular Vote, 86% of Counties, and 99% of Primaries this year. I AM ON THE BALLOT!”…
Career day
A cartoon by Drew Sheneman. Related | The future looks scary as Trump gives prediction markets free rein…
Democrats expand House battlefield further as GOP’s struggles worsen
With less than a month to go to the midterm elections, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Monday announced that it added six more candidates to its “Red to Blue” program, which gives financial and organizational support to top-tier Democratic nominees in Republican-held House districts. All six candidates sit in districts President Donald Trump carried by double-digit margins…
Republicans scramble ahead of elections … and more!
Just nowWalter EinenkelChild abuser Dennis Hastert has diedThe disgraced former Republican House speaker, died over the weekend at 84. Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison for illegally structuring bank withdrawals to hide hush money payments meant to cover up his sexual abuse of a former student. Hastert sexually molested an unspecified number of boys while he was a teacher and wrestling…
Democrats shouldn’t take these midterm races for granted
Democrats are riding high on what feels like an endless wave of good polling ahead of November’s midterm elections. The party is widely expected to win control of the House, if not also the Senate. But there are a handful of races where the polling hasn’t been so kind, and Democrats shouldn’t let their justified giddiness about punishing President Donald Trump and the Republican Party cloud…
Paychecks aren’t going as far. More Americans say they trust Democrats to help.
People, especially women, are stressed about paying for everything, from groceries and housing to healthcare and retirement, according to new polling from The 19th and YouGov. This story was originally reported by Mariel Padilla and Grace Panetta of The 19th. Meet Mariel and Grace and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. High prices and the cost of living are…
A modest proposal
As always, if you find value in this work I do, please consider helping me keep it sustainable by joining my weekly newsletter, Sparky’s List! You can get it in your inbox or read it on Patreon, the content is the same. Also, if you missed the big Kickstarter, there are still some copies of the latest book, Our Long National Nightmare, available on the Tom Tomorrow popup store! (Don’t delay…
Meet the midterms’ dark-horse races
Survey Says is a weekly series rounding up the most important polling trends or data points you need to know about, plus a vibe check on a trend that’s driving politics or culture. In 2018, a Democrat named Kendra Horn scored the shock victory of the midterms, flipping a House district in Oklahoma that had been in Republican hands for 44 years. Just ahead of the election, FiveThirtyEight’…
Leader on AI
A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | Trump restricts media as he wines and dines an authoritarian…
‘A massive power grab’: White House proposal threatens funding that helps disabled Americans vote
By Lisa Song for ProPublica Without Amy Miller, some elderly and disabled people wouldn’t be able to vote. The attorney for Disability Rights Nebraska travels the state, investigating the quality of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. As she reminds the residents how they can report abuse or neglect, she also offers voter registration forms. Last month…
GOP senator sheds his dignity to kiss Trump’s ass
Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions. Senate Republicans continued to make utter fools of themselves this week in their continued efforts to paint President Donald Trump as a victim. But no one was a bigger clown than Sen.
Schmitt head
A cartoon by Clay Jones. Related | GOP senator’s gotcha question blows up in his face…
Can this Democratic pastor flip a House district in Iowa?
Lindsay James, a Presbyterian pastor and politician, is ready to shift into fall soup mode with her two teenage children. But first, she has an election to win. Across Iowa’s 2nd District, James has been talking with voters ahead of her competitive race. As it stands, the polls show James in a dead heat with Republican Joe Mitchell. A state representative, James is “very familiar with…
AOC slams ICE atrocities, and Republicans keep screwing up
The midterms are less than a month away, and the GOP is desperately trying anything to convince voters they should stay on a sinking ship. Unfortunately, the Republican platform is not only unsatisfactory, but it’s actively driving people away in droves—and recent actions by Senate Republicans didn’t do anything to help. And it was all on video. GOP senator’s gotcha question…
Super El Niño to cause 451,000 heat deaths
Climate scientists are calling the hotter temperatures resulting from El Niño a “postcard from the future.” By Arcelia Martin for Inside Climate News More than 451,000 people are projected to die across the globe in the next six months from the additional heat brought by a super El Niño, according to estimates from climate scientists released Wednesday. The El Niño—the warm…
Remembering when there were ‘Stax’ of soul musicians in Memphis
This story originally ran Oct. 16, 2022. Black Music Sunday is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 270 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new. Here at Black Music Sunday, we’ve been making our way through cities…
Another bumper crop
A cartoon by Tim Campbell. Related | Trump keeps screwing farmers. Will they finally push back?
Why the right is gunning for Ms. Rachel
Explaining the Right is a weekly series that looks at what the right wing is currently obsessing over, how it influences politics—and why you need to know. Fox News is at war with wildly popular children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel. Over the past week, the network took aim at the YouTuber with 21.5 million subscribers, warning viewers that her programming, which is geared toward toddlers…