Republicans split into word-warring camps over the ‘worst briefing ever’ on Iran

This war pits bootlicker against bootlicker, Rand Paul against Lindsey Graham On Wednesday, senators and representatives finally got that briefing they should have received before Donald Trump decided to launch airstrikes on Iraqi bases, murder an Iranian general, and take the world to the brink of war while getting U.S. forces in Iraq officially labeled…

Morning Digest: Check out our demographics guide for every general election candidate for Congress

4Q Fundraising ● IA-01: Ashley Hinson (R): $430,000 raised, $734,000 cash-on-hand ● IA-03: Cindy Axne (D-inc): $620,000 raised, $1.6 million cash-on-hand ● NC-02: Deborah Ross (D): $300,000 raised (in one month), $263,000 cash-on-hand ● NJ-04: Stephanie Schmid (D): $101,000 raised ● NY-24: Dana Balter (D): $205,000 raised ● TX-13: Josh Winegarner (R): $346,000 raised, $283,000…

Key special election in Texas heats up, with scathing attacks and a Biden endorsement

Texas Democrat Eliz Markowitz with supporters The Jan. 28 special election is heating up for Texas’ 28th State House District, where Democrats are hoping to score a pickup that could better position them to flip the entire chamber in the fall. Politico reports that the progressive group Forward Majority is spending $100,000 on TV, digital,…

Trump admin to finally open secretive immigration ‘tent courts’ at border to the public

After months of criticism from immigrant rights advocates and lawmakers, the Trump administration will open up the so-called immigration tent courts along the southern U.S. border to public observers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Democratic lawmakers had previously criticized these facilities, where asylum-seekers subject to the Remain in Mexico policy have their cases heard, as “shrouded in secrecy since their…

Trump and Putin talk about ‘mutual interests,’ as U.S. learns about the call from the Kremlin

On Sunday evening, the nation learned that there had been another phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. That in itself might seem alarming, considering that Trump has just been impeached for taking actions against a U.S. ally, actions that supported Russian military efforts. But what’s really jaw-dropping in this case is how the nation…

Trump’s Ukraine actions spread chaos as White House attorneys declared he really was above the law

Trump’s order to delay the military assistance and his efforts to extract statements from the Ukrainian leadership didn’t just cause concern inside the Office of Management and Budget and at the top levels of the State Department—they caused chaos. White House officials found themselves facing an illegal order, and they clearly knew it was an…

Democrats gear up to make health care the defining issue for the Senate and the House in 2020

House Democrats feel secure in their majority because they know that health care, the issue that in large part handed them the House in 2018, is still a problem for Republicans in 2020. Senate Democrats are now readying to seize the advantage on the issue as well. The appeals court decision issued earlier this month, which The…