I’ve always been resistant to criticisms of the main party committees like the DCCC, DSCC and others. This isn’t because I think they’re right or wrong. It’s because as the ones controlling the main or a main store of money and other resources they are a logical focus of criticism for everyone who isn’t getting maximal support or everyone who thinks if they just got that added burst of support they could win. The same applies to everyone who doesn’t have the same theory of the election – more gun-friendly Democrats in rural midwestern districts, more progressive candidates, more whatever. In other words, it’s not that I think these party committees are always right. Far from it. It’s that I’m aware there are structural factors that make these committees a focus of criticism whether they’re doing solid work or not.

I say all this as a preface to saying something rather different. Read More

You’ve probably seen President Trump’s tweets over the weekend lashing out at America’s European allies over trade. There’s no better way to understand the mindset than to read this post from June 2016. It’s a revelation.

Also don’t forget this: decoupling the United States from the major states and economies of Western Europe has been the central foreign policy goal of Russia for about 70 years.

The Trump Organization is now using the Presidential Seal as part of its branding for its golf course.

We just had some very stunning, bizarre developments in the last hour or so having to do with one-time Trump aide Sam Nunberg. Read More

Early this afternoon, we recorded Episode #3 of The Josh Marshall Podcast. We decided to do this one without a guest, just me and David. Something has changed about the Russia probe in the last ten days. It’s no one thing, it’s several overlapping developments which paint a picture that is far more far-reaching and sinister than what I at least was willing to suspect. So I wanted to try to put those threads together in this new episode and explain how they connect up to one another. The President is freaking out and acting out for one reason: the tightening grip of the Mueller probe. Everything stems from that. It’s our job to see as clearly we can what developments under the surface – which the President and his top advisors likely know and we don’t – are driving this. Read More

We have been following this Sam Nunberg story all afternoon. I think he’s now on his fifth interview of the afternoon, which we’re watching right now. Here are a few takeaways. Read More

Everyone is focused on the on-going Trump tragicomedy in Washington. But that’s not the only show in town. Starting tomorrow morning there is a critical trial in Kansas. Kris Kobach is likely the most influential and dangerous voter suppression promoter in the country. He’s Kansas Secretary of State. He was also the head of President Trump’s sham voter fraud commission. In this trial he’s being forced to defend the state’s new law which requires people to provide documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The result will have national implications. Tierney Sneed helms our voting rights and democracy coverage at TPM and we’ve sent her to Kansas City to cover the trial from the court. She’ll be publishing live updates here in addition to feature stories over the course of the week.

Tierney previewed the trial here last week in her round up of the ‘experts’ Kobach is using to defend his voter fraud claims in court. Also do not miss our weekly Sum Up of critical developments on the voting rights and democracy front here.

Here’s our weekly Sum Up of critical developments on the Obamacare and health care policy front.

The West Virginia teachers strikes appears to have ended with a more or less complete victory for the teachers.

Utah Republicans are so thankful to President Trump for dramatically reducing the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, that they are trying to rename a scenic Utah National Parks Highway the Donald J. Trump Utah National Parks Highway. Democrats says that if the bill reaches the state Senate they will propose an amendment to name the highway’s frontage road the “Stormy Daniels rampway”. Read More