Author: tophorse@gmail.com

On Tuesday, Republicans lost their supermajority in the Iowa Senate.  Catelin Drey’s victory in Senate District 1 is not just a local upset — it is part of a growing national pattern of Democratic overperformance in state legislative special elections. Donald Trump carried this district by more than 11 points in 2024. Drey’s victory represents…
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Friday that he has created a new task force to dismantle homeless encampments in his state’s largest cities, citing public safety concerns. “California has put in place a strong, comprehensive strategy for fighting the national homelessness and housing crises — and is outperforming the nation as a result in…
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The Trump administration this week approved the sale of extended-range missiles and other related devices to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s defensive posture against Russia in a $825 million arms deal.  The agreement, which Congress was notified of, will include 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles, 3,350 GPS units, missile containers and other related equipment…
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Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are launching a probe into Michael Boulos, the son-in-law of President Trump, following reports he and his cousin brokered a deal with a Saudi businessman to provide the appearance of access to the Trump family. A spokesman for Boulos previously denied reporting from The New York Times that found Boulos, through…
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Friday defended the Trump administration for mulling a broader deployment of National Guard troops to major cities to fight crime, but he was noncommittal when it came to a federal law enforcement crackdown in his own district. “I don’t know, that’s not my call,” Johnson said in an interview on…
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President Trump recently called marijuana policy “very complicated” while noting he had “heard great things” about medical marijuana. He is right on both counts — medical cannabis policy is complex, but the benefits are undeniable. With the right leadership, it is a challenge worth tackling.  He’s not alone in this view. Former Rep. Bob Barr…
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Friday he thinks the House will “probably” vote on “one measure or another” related to releasing more information about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after a battle over the case sent the chamber into an early break last month. Johnson said he’s not so sure the move will be a…
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk is seeking to dismiss a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit claiming he waited too long to disclose his growing share in Twitter, the social platform now called X.  “The SEC’s allegations, even accepted as true, make clear that Mr. Musk allegedly late-filed a single beneficial ownership form by a matter…
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into law a new House map on Friday that’s expected to give Republicans five additional pickup opportunities ahead of 2026, delivering the GOP a major win before the midterms while opponents challenge it in court. “This is Gov. Greg Abbott. I’m about to sign the law that creates the…
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On July 31, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard arguments over President Trump’s tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  The legal question is simple enough: Can a president invoke a “national emergency” under the act to rewire U.S. tariff policy? The Court of Appeals will likely say no. But will the Supreme…
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Vice President Vance, along with a top Kremlin negotiator and a chorus of critics allied with President Trump, attacked Politico on Friday over an article about special envoy Steve Witkoff’s “struggles to manage” peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.  “This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it’s more than that: it’s a foreign influence operation…
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Related video: Sunrise’s Trevor Shirley on Trump’s FIRING of Fed. Reserve’s Lisa Cook | SUNRISE Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller reupped his support for an interest rate cut in September, expressing openness to additional cuts in the next three to six months to prevent the labor market from tumbling.  “Based on what I know today,…
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(NEXSTAR) — Cracker Barrel’s recent attempts to introduce a new logo didn’t go over so well with its most vocal critics, prompting the company to revert back to the old logo on Tuesday. A couple of other recent changes to the Cracker Barrel website, however, have largely gone under the radar. White House claims credit…
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) blasted a White House budget office for advancing proposal to rescind $4.9 billion in funding allocated to the State Department and the dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), calling it “unlawful” and a rejection of bipartisanship. The Democratic leader warned it also takes Washington a step closer to…
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Hundreds of people are expected spend the Labor Day weekend taking part in protests against President Trump’s robust agenda since returning to the Oval Office, on top of advocating for policies that benefit workers. “Billionaires are stealing from working families, destroying our democracy, and building private armies to attack our towns and cities,” organizer May…
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Like all good flimfam artists, President Trump is a master of misdirection.  As Americans grow increasingly skeptical of his inflationary tariffs, deficit-swelling tax cuts and senseless push to gut federal agencies and research, he floods the zone with a firehose of falsehoods to shift media and public attention elsewhere.   Take his grandstanding plan to dispatch…
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Friday called on President Trump to fire Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, over the ouster of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez and several high-profile resignations. The termination of Monarez and the resignation of other senior officials has…
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Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia are asking a federal judge to issue a gag order against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, to bar them from making “baseless public attacks” against the Salvadorian national who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers said in a Thursday…
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(WHTM) — The latest Emerson College Polling survey shows President Trump’s approval rating slipping to 45 percent. The president’s approval rating is down four points since January in the poll, while his disapproval is up 6 points, now at 47 percent. Additionally, a plurality of voters, at 48 percent, disapprove of Trump deploying the National…
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Vice President Vance said in a new interview that President Trump is in “incredibly good health,” but that he is prepared to step in as commander in chief if needed. “Yes, terrible tragedies happen,” Vance told USA Today. “But I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going…
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The families of two children killed in a Minneapolis shooting earlier this week are speaking out, sharing memories of their kids and mourning the futures lost after a gunman opened fire on a Catholic school during a back-to-school Mass. “We will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch…
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President Trump is seeking to claw back roughly $5 billion in congressionally approved funding for foreign aid programs using a “pocket rescission,” a rare use of presidential power that is likely to spur backlash on Capitol Hill and potential legal challenges. Trump made the request in a letter sent to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) late…
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The move comes just as the former vice president is expected to embark on a 15-city book tour.

The Trump administration is weighing plans to use a Navy base near Chicago to support migrant detention efforts in the Windy City as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) crackdown on illegal immigration. DHS asked the Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs…
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The California governor ramped up his social media carpet-bombing of MAGA world.