The emerging Republican position is that women should not be free to vote, to report so-called “sexual assault,” or to say things like “dear isn’t that your fourth, you’re driving.”

Yeah JD, we remember. We will never forget your boss was best friends with the guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring.

And then that guy was "silenced" forever.

And now we will just not talk about anything else until they...

#ReleaseThe_EPSTEIN_Files

Work in Progress: Registered Work in Progress is a recurring feature on CAMPAIGN TRAILS, in which I share some of the more interesting materials I’ve uncovered in my book-in-progress on the work of John Doar and the Civil Rights ...

Sixty years ago today, the first federal examiners went to work in the first nine counties covered by the Voting Rights Act.

Here's my account of the first day in Selma from the first draft of The Division manuscript.

trump won in 2024 because he promised to lower the price of eggs. Despite his happy talk & made up statistics, inflation isn't cooling. The impact of tariffs is likely to exacerbate that trend. If so, can trump's caravans of invading immigrants overcome a failure to deliver on inflation?I doubt it.

Everything in recent history suggests to me that midterm elections are now national referenda, rather than a series of 435 local races. trump's taken a lot of bold (or erratic and reckless) economic risks. Those chickens will likely be coming home to roost in November 2026,

A related risk is that Congressional Republicans will slit each other's throats over the impact of redistricting on their separate chances of staying in office.

There is a risk that redistricting will dilute GOP districts and expose their candidates to defeat in an election where history and current trends predict a strong swing to the Democrats.

Will there be enough church - going Republicans who refuse to vote for an adulterous criminal to change the outcome of the Senate primary? They haven't been dissuaded from voting for a an adulterous criminal for president in three straight elections. I don't expect that to change.

The big question is whether the Texas GOP is finally jumping the shark. It's clear to everyone who followed Paxton's impeachment that he broke the law to help his friend and his mistress. Angela Paxton's divorce brings the latter into sharper focus, although the district court has sealed the file.

Abbott is doing the same dance as Cornyn, adopting far right positions in an effort to build his base within the national party. He's having more success, because he can do crazy things on his own authority.

Cornyn is desperately trying to remake his image as a true trump Republican. He's not going to swing Paxton's MAGA base. Paxton and Cruz have a lock on that GOP wing, which has displaced country club/Bush Republicans as the heart of the party.

Despite all his baggage, I'd put Paxton as the heavy favorite in the Republican primary. The question then becomes whether "Bush Republicans" and evangelicals will vote with Democrats and independents in large enough numbers to flip the Senate seat.

I quibble with the concluding paragraphs, where the author suggests the Paxton - Cornyn fight could spell the end of the Texas GOP. Further, the redistricting fight has very little to do with solidifying Texas for Republicans. It's all about trump trying to hold a House majority.

FCC to eliminate gigabit speed goal and scrap analysis of broadband prices Analysis of broadband affordability deemed “extraneous” by FCC chair.

"populism" is....making it easier for regional telecom companies to rip off captive customers and hiding all evidence of market failure

Security for Ukraine and Europe depends on the two coming together to insulate themselves from Washington and construct deterrence against Moscow. The talks that really matter, then, aren’t the ones in Alaska next week. They’re the ones in Europe, right now.

/END

Ukraine is thus caught between two fatal delusions. The first is America’s delusion that Russia will provide security for Ukraine. It can’t and won’t. The second is Europe’s delusion that its security must run through America. Not anymore.

/3

New chatbot on Trump’s Truth Social platform keeps contradicting him An “answer engine” on Trump’s social media site says the 2020 election wasn’t stolen, tariffs aren’t boosting the stock market and Barack Obama is seen favorably.

Original source: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

“Truth Search AI contradicts the president by saying that tariffs are a tax on Americans, the 2020 election wasn’t stolen, and his family’s cryptocurrency investments pose a potential conflict of interest.”

Truth Social’s New Chatbot Disagrees with Trump “President Donald Trump and the new AI search tool on his social media network, Truth Social, don’t exactly see eye to eye,” the Washington Post reports. “Truth Search AI contradicts the president by ...

“President Donald Trump and the new AI search tool on his social media network, Truth Social, don’t exactly see eye to eye.”
politicalwire.com/2025/08/10/t...

🤣

A cartoon depiction of Satan from South Park. Caption: “I will be suing SouthPark for $50M. Showing Trump in bed with me has done irreparable harm to my reputation”

The astonishing thing about Watergate, in contrast to today, is how the President was actually shamed into leaving office.

Imagine that: shame.

The EPA announced that it has terminated collective bargaining agreements with five unions representing thousands of employees.

This is perfect.

www.npr.org/2025/08/08/5... "Lovell said one of the enduring legacies of the U.S. space program was how children became interested in science, technology and engineering. Later in life, he lamented that NASA didn't receive enough money to be bold in human exploration of the universe."

Cartels may be able to target witnesses after major court hack There is growing concern that cartels and foreign actors could use the stolen data to identify informants and foil criminal probes.

BREAKING: Drug cartels are feared to be among those that obtained sensitive court data due to a sweeping breach of the federal judiciary’s case filing system.

Color me dubious.