South Carolina Battles to Stay First in 2028 Democratic Primary
By Alexandra Marquez Three years before 2028, the outlines of the next presidential race are already growing clearer, with large fields of potential primary candidates in both parties already making early moves. But one big thing is very much unclear for Democrats: which state will vote first when the primaries start. The 2024 election was the first in almost two decades that saw major change to the top of the Democratic primary calendar, booting Iowa — the longtime first-in-the-nation caucus — and sliding South Carolina’s primary to the fore, challenging New Hampshire’s traditional leading role. The moves came amid discontent with Iowa Democrats’ messy 2020
Democratic Governors Navigate Trump-Era Bipartisanship Shift
By Adam Edelman Linda McMahon and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have largely been skewered by Democrats for the way they have run President Donald Trump’s Education and Health departments. But over the weekend at a bipartisan summit of governors in Colorado Springs, they received a distinctly warm welcome — including from the Democrats on hand. Instead of pressing McMahon on her plans to eliminate the Education Department, a move that will substantially affect state budgets, Democrats who attended the National Governors Association meeting in the mountain foothills of Colorado offered praise to McMahon during a Friday session over the Trump administration’s decision to
Republicans are split on extending Obamacare tax breaks as higher costs loom
By Sahil Kapur The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that about 5 million Americans will lose their insurance by 2034 if the money expires. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., the chair of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said “a lot of people” are discussing how to address the ACA subsidies. But the party is torn. “I’m not saying where I am on that issue, but it’s definitely part of the conversation,” Smith told NBC News. “There’s some interest to do something. There’s some interest to do nothing. So it’s threading that needle.” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., who represents a swing district
Trump Targets “The View” After Joy Behar Obama Remarks
Written By Lexx Thornton President Donald Trump alluded that the next show to be canceled would be ABC’s hit daytime talk show “The View.” The commander-in-chief’s supposed threat comes after co-host Joy Behar said Trump is “jealous” of former President Barack Obama. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, which was in response to Behar’s remarks, Trump said that “The View” would be the next show to be “pulled off the air.” The White House issued the response via White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers, who added that “Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement
Obama Allies Denounce Treason Claims as Distraction Tactic
By Natasha Korecki, Peter Nicholas and Monica Alba To former aides who worked in Barack Obama’s White House, the Trump administration’s allegations of “treason” carried the stench of desperation from a president straining to shift the focus from a burgeoning scandal around Jeffrey Epstein. Still, they’re grappling with how to contain the unprecedented accusations National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has leveled, even as they dismiss them as asinine, interviews with more than half a dozen people who worked in Obama’s White House or on his campaigns reveal. These people say the events of the last week have turned into a messaging balancing act between unnecessarily giving oxygen to the
Trump Impeachment Fears Fuel GOP Midterm Strategy
By Peter Nicholas, Olympia Sonnier and Julie Tsirkin Impeachment may be nothing that Donald Trump wants, but it is shaping up to be a galvanizing midterm election issue that preserves his party’s control of Congress, Republican strategists said. Seldom do sitting presidents pick up seats in midterm congressional elections. Trump faces an especially daunting challenge in that he relies on a devoted electoral base that may feel no compelling reason to vote if his name isn’t on the ballot. One way to persuade Trump supporters to turn out is to press the point that he could face impeachment a third time if Democrats wrest control
Obama Rebukes Trump Over Treason Claims, Election Attacks
By Monica Alba, Vaughn Hillyard, Dareh Gregorian and Zoë Richards Former President Barack Obama’s office issued a rare rebuke of President Donald Trump on Tuesday after the president accused his predecessor of having committed “treason” and rigging the 2016 and 2020 elections. “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.” When reporters on Tuesday asked Trump about the late convicted
Trump’s Tax Bill Sparks 2025 Governor Race Showdowns
By Bridget Bowman and Adam Edelman President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending law known as the “big beautiful bill” is expected to be a major issue in the 2026 midterm elections. But first, candidates for governor this year in Virginia and New Jersey are already testing how the measure plays on the campaign trail. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominees in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, have warned about devastating impacts from looming cuts to social safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Republicans are taking mixed approaches. In New Jersey, a
Trump’s Tax Bill Adds $3.4T to Debt, Cuts Health Coverage
By Sahil Kapur President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which he signed into law this month, will add $3.4 trillion to the U.S. national debt over the next decade, according to a report the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office published Monday. The report found that the law, which Republicans passed along party lines, will also “increase by 10 million the number of people without health insurance” by 2034. The budget office scrutinized the final version of the bill after Republicans made a series of last-minute changes to cobble together the votes needed in the Senate; it passed 51-50. That revised version subsequently passed the House on
SC Democrats Seek Fighter-Leader for Post-Trump Era
By Alexandra Marquez Democratic strategists, elected officials and voters in South Carolina are already eagerly looking forward, hunting for the next leader of their party after their 2024 presidential loss. They haven’t had to look far: Prominent Democratic officials have flooded into the state, which was the first to vote in Democrats’ 2024 presidential primaries, in recent weeks. Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gavin Newsom of California and Andy Beshear of Kentucky have all crisscrossed South Carolina so far this year, while Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is also planning an event just outside of Charleston this
