Leigh Ann Caldwell

Is Schumer a Flip-Phone Guy in an A.I. World? The Senate Democratic leader is facing down the prospect of another government funding fight before he’s even recovered from the last one. This time, he’s trying to get ahead of it—but some in his cau...

Sen. Chuck Schumer is facing down the prospect of another government funding fight before he’s even recovered from the last one. Right now, his caucus is divided. Schumer will have to unify it and his career, and the midterms, will depend on it. puck.news/chuck-schume...

Johnson Loses the Epstein Caucus The House speaker’s strategy to bury the Epstein drama by sending Congress home for the summer has only delayed a reckoning that Trump himself set into motion. The defection of a few key Republican me...

Epstein fallout continues: Some Republicans asked me why Rep. Brian Jack, who is close with Trump, voted w/ Dems to subpoena the DOJ. So I found out.
Plus, a tense convo b/w Rep. Higgins and Johnson over Epstein and frustration over a lack of a strategy.
puck.news/gop-house-me...

House Republicans’ Cruel Summer G.O.P. members hoped to spend the August recess focused on selling the (unpopular) Big Beautiful Bill and messaging about extended tax cuts. But the Epstein scandal is consuming everything.

Speaker Mike Johnson touted GOP unity this week. They are anything but. B/c of Epstein.
- The Rules Committee refused to meet.
- Leadership couldn't control the GOP angst
- And some fear it will lead to a gov't shutdown
More....
puck.news/house-republ...

The Collins Pressure Campaign After Sen. Susan Collins’ eleventh-hour decision to not put forth an amendment slimming down the $9 billion rescission package, she blamed a “political stunt” from Democrats for her change of heart. B...

Why Sen. Susan Collins dropper her amendment to scale back the recissions bill from $9 billion to $6.5 billion and what it means for the appropriations process....

puck.news/collins-back...

Angie Craig’s Big Tent In this candid conversation, the Senate candidate and Minnesota Democratic representative discusses the bipartisan Clarity Act, the crypto-related questions facing the White House, the administration’...

I sat down with @repangiecraig.bsky.social last week at Ned's Club DC. We spoke about why she urged Dems to vote for the crypto bills, the broken farm bill coalition and the future of the Dem Party.
puck.news/rep-angie-cr...

Trump’s Epstein Curse The president’s perplexing reversal on releasing the Epstein case files has become the rare issue on which the MAGA base seems unwilling to follow his lead.

Trump's perplexing reversal on the Epstein case has tested Teflon Don. It may not matter in the midterms, but it’s “the first real example of Trump’s base attacking him,” a Republican strategist said. “This softens him up for the next time he crosses them” puck.news/why-trumps-b...

The Senate’s Midterm Paralysis Problem As the ’26 cycle ramps up, both Republican and Democratic Senate recruiting efforts have been slowed by uncertainty over Trump’s endorsement strategy, who is running, and whether the job is still wort...

Plus I have all the chatter about the incumbents (Collins and Ernst and more) and high profile candidates (Cooper and Trump and more) yet to announce

puck.news/the-senates-...

The Senate’s Midterm Paralysis Problem As the ’26 cycle ramps up, both Republican and Democratic Senate recruiting efforts have been slowed by uncertainty over Trump’s endorsement strategy, who is running, and whether the job is still wort...

Midterms are getting underway. I have the latest on how Trump is thinking about endorsements for both Cornyn and Cassidy and any House Republican wanting to run statewide.
puck.news/the-senates-...

Capitol Hill’s War Against Itself Amid the administration’s assaults on the G.A.O., House Republicans have largely sided with the White House over their own watchdog—the latest sign that they would rather abrogate their own constituti...

Amid the Trump administration’s assaults on the Government Accountability Office, House Republicans have largely sided with the White House over their own watchdog—the latest sign that they would rather abrogate their own constitutional powers than disagree w/ the president
puck.news/what-article...

Nightmare on K Street A blunt conversation with a Republican and corporate influence insider about why businesses were blindsided by the Big Beautiful Bill, and how “America First” renewables beat wind and solar in the ene...

A blunt conversation with a Republican and corporate influence insider about why businesses were blindsided by the Big Beautiful Bill, and how “America First” renewables beat wind and solar in the energy tax wars.

puck.news/how-k-street...

BBB’s Path of Least Resistance There was sound, there was fury, and then there was the predictable spectacle of Republicans—hawks and populists alike—falling in line behind Trump’s landmark bill.

The House is on the verge of passing the tax and spending bill. I detail how hawks and centrists and populist in the House and Senate fell in line behind Trump's bill, with relatively little fight.

puck.news/how-the-big-...

Confirming @sangerkatz.bsky.social that Collins got the $50 billion hospital fund in the updated version of the Bill. I had been hearing rumors that if Murkowski votes for it then leadership was more optimistic that Collins would vote for it, too.
This is obviously a big incentive for her

To BBB or Not to Be As Trump’s self-imposed July Fourth deadline approaches and the horse-trading continues, Republicans are starting to worry about the political ramifications of slashing Medicaid and running up the nat...

A lot here:
- Why Tillis decided against reelection (his top campaign aide didn't know)
- BBB is making GOP angsty about the midterms
- Dems are winning the BBB messaging war. But Priorities USA found that the people that need to hear the message aren't
puck.news/the-latest-m...

Tim Kaine’s War on War Powers As Dems struggle to unify on whether Trump should have attacked Iran, they’re lining up to criticize how he did it—without congressional approval or input. Senator Tim Kaine discusses his latest resol...

Cassidy says he won't vote for Kaine's war powers bill, says pres has authority b/c of nuclear weapons. He was one of 7 GOP sens still in office who voted for a similar Kaine res in 2020. Cassidy also needs Trump for his reelect and he's trying to repair that relationship
puck.news/war-powers-z...

Is Fashion Ready for Lauren Sánchez Bezos? The industry news on the wedding of the century is beginning to leak out: Anna Wintour is very involved with the looks of the bride and the groom (though she won’t make it to the Grand Canal) while Jo...

Puck’s @laurensherman.bsky.social has the scoop on the fashion at the wedding of the century—from specifics of Anna Wintour’s involvement, to the designer Lauren Sánchez will be wearing down the aisle:

Trump’s Iran Warpath & D.C. Aftershocks The latest political intelligence and national security chatter surrounding the U.S. bombing of Iran, the president’s neocon turn, the mental gymnastics of the MAGA base, and the response in Washingto...

That time when @juliaioffe.bsky.social and I explain why Trump attacked Iran now and why Democrats are focusing on demanding Congressional authority. (Hint: they can avoid saying if they agree with strikes or not.) puck.news/why-did-trum...

Trump’s BBB Black Book The president is strategically withholding endorsements for senators who may need them to hold on to their seats. But would he risk losing the Republican majority—and face very real political conseque...

Trump is withholding endorsements for senators who may need them to hold on to their seats. It's a tactic meant to help ensure their support for the BBB.
The fear of a primary still trumps the risk in a general of voting for an unpopular bill --> puck.news/how-trump-is...

Hot Schatz! Part Deux Podcast Episode · The Powers That Be: Daily · 06/18/2025 · 38m

I sat down with @schatz.bsky.social last week. We talked about immigration raids, DOGE, Medicaid, Democrats path back to power and what he would do about the filibuster if he becomes Dem Whip. Full convo is here 👇

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Trump’s A.I. Contradictions On his first day in office, Trump launched an A.I. initiative to boost adoption and compete with China. But his legislative agenda leaves the U.S. profoundly vulnerable to A.I.’s social and economic d...

Trump is determined to win the A.I. race, especially against China. But his Big Beautiful Bill and his proposed budget would not only hinder A.I. advances but does next to nothing to guard against social and economic disruption. puck.news/trumps-mixed...

ICYMI: I sat down with @schatz.bsky.social last week where he told me that he thinks Congress can un-DOGE some USAID programs, that anarchists are not part of the Dem coalition and more...
puck.news/senator-bria...

The Invisible Fetterman The arc of the formerly progressive senator’s career has bent more and more toward the right, and away from his own party. Would he actually jump ship?

NEW: After Sen. Fetterman's dinner with Steve Bannon, Democratic aides phones were ablaze with texts wondering what it all meant, and whether Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could remove and replace him for failing to fulfill his job duties.
puck.news/john-fetterm...

The Great Congressional Cutoff The “most transparent administration in history” has choked off the information flow down Pennsylvania Avenue, doling out intel as a reward to allies while staying mostly mum about what’s happening at...

Ahead of a recent CODEL, House lawmakers were stonewalled by State Department officials when they inquired how they should discuss foreign aid cuts with overseas officials. The officials said they’d been instructed to tell the lawmakers nothing.
puck.news/the-trump-ad...

The Great Congressional Cutoff The “most transparent administration in history” has choked off the information flow down Pennsylvania Avenue, doling out intel as a reward to allies while staying mostly mum about what’s happening at...

NEW: The “most transparent administration in history” has choked off the information flow down Pennsylvania Avenue, doling out intel as a reward to allies while choking off info about what’s happening at USAID, or even who’s running the C.D.C.
puck.news/the-trump-ad...

Hawley’s Comet Four years after his January 6 fist pump made him a Senate pariah, Josh Hawley has reinvented himself as a populist champion for Medicaid—still a lonely position within the G.O.P., and one that’s fuel...

Four years after his January 6 fist pump made him a Senate pariah, Josh Hawley is back as a stalwart defender of Medicaid—still a mostly lonely position within the G.O.P., and one that’s fueling chatter about his undulled ambition to succeed Trump in 2028. puck.news/why-josh-haw...

Reservoir DOGE As Elon Musk exits the White House, Republicans are scratching their heads over what all the chaos really accomplished, and how DOGE’s slapdash attempts to trim the budget stack up next to the $4 tril...

As Musk exits the WH, DOGE has wreaked chaos, upended people's lives and shut down a life-saving international aid org, but it has fallen far short of its goal. And on the Hill, the DOGE caucuses that sprung up have been an even bigger failure ->

puck.news/a-doge-retro...

"Republicans are completely silent about it," said @lacaldwelldc.bsky.social.

"But another thing is the president is immune from any sort of repercussions other than congressional impeachment, right? ... Republicans do not have any motivation ... to break with the president on this."

Trump’s Senate Antagonists (Ranked) Failure is not an option for Republicans as the Big Beautiful Bill moves to the Senate. The question is what remains of the multitrillion-dollar, debt-exploding monstrosity when Rand Paul, Ron Johnson...

It's the Senate's turn to take up the so-called big beautiful bill. What the bill will look like when it gets to the president’s desk, and what political capital members gain—or lose—along the way. I break down the political calculus of the players puck.news/mapping-the-...

USAID is hiring lawyers to “defend vigorously” against employee grievance claims and to conduct investigations of employees, including for “unauthorized communications” with the press.
Scoop last night in my @puck.news email

Great Expectations Inside the sniping and second-guessing of Hakeem Jeffries as the Democratic leader still faces questions about his leadership and, of course, the omnipresent comparisons to Nancy Pelosi.

NEW: As you're sitting by the pool, read this latest dispatch about Leader Jeffries, his teams' beef with a former Pelosi staffer, and how he's being graded so far in Trump 2.0

puck.news/hakeem-jeffr...

Last week in Beverly Hills, Puck’s fashion correspondent @laurensherman.bsky.social co-hosted a Puck Power Lunch with Erin Saluti, founder of Eittem.

Swipe through to relive the event, and sign up for Lauren’s Puck private email “Line Sheet” here: puck.news/newsletters/...