June 2, 2025 at 5:05 AM EDT
They're the most important protection against Trump -- which is why they're endangered

One of our highest priorities in this darkness must be to protect the people who are doing the most right now to push back against Trump's tyranny: our judiciary. In some 180 judicial rulings so far, federal judges have at least temporarily stopped Trump from (1) deporting and/or imprisoning people without due process, (2) firing federal workers and closing agencies and departments without congressional approval, (3) forcing law firms to not represent people or causes Trump dislikes, (4) forcing universities, their faculties, and their students not to say or write things Trump dislikes, and (5) imposing worldwide tariffs without congressional authority.

June 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM EDT
'Worse than McCarthyism': Noted historian reminds voters Trump isn't 'just a one-man show'

We speak with esteemed historian scholar Ellen Schrecker about the Trump administration's assault on universities and the crackdown on dissent, a climate of fear and censorship she describes as "worse than McCarthyism." "During the McCarthy period, it was attacking only individual professors and only about their sort of extracurricular political activities on the left. " Today, the repression that's coming out of Washington, D.C., it attacks everything that happens on American campuses," says Schrecker. "The damage that the Trump administration is doing is absolutely beyond the pale and has never, never been equaled in American life with regard to higher education."

June 1, 2025 at 3:17 PM EDT
The best path to defeating Trumpism

If you follow intra-Democratic discourse on social media, then you probably saw the frenzy that erupted this week following Axios ' coverage of a poll by Demand Progress that found populist messaging far outperforms the messaging being pushed by proponents of the "abundance" movement. When asked about a candidate who wanted to "get money out of politics, break up corporate monopolies, and fight corruption," 48.5% of respondents said they'd be much more likely to vote for that candidate and 33.1% said they'd be somewhat more likely, for a total of 81.6%. When asked about a candidate who wanted to "make the government and economy do a better job of serving working and middle-class Americans" by reducing "regulations that hold back the government and private sector from taking action," 18.8% said they'd be much more likely to vote for that candidate and 28.9% said they'd be somewhat more likely, for a total of 47.7%. (The massive gap between the two options is actually slightly larger among independent voters, with 84.8% more likely to support the populist candidate versus 44.9% for abundance.)

June 1, 2025 at 1:46 PM EDT
'Unhinged elephant in the room': Jim Acosta warns Trump is 'spiraling further into incoherency'

Senior journalist Jim Acosta warned in an article published Sunday that President Donald Trump is "spiraling further into incoherency." "This is not hyperbole. This is simply stating the obvious to anyone who wants to face facts," he wrote on his Substack, noting that Trump's apparent cognitive decline is a story that has been largely overlooked.

June 1, 2025 at 1:03 PM EDT
'Stand up and fight': Dem congressman vows to deliver 'knockout punch' to Trump

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who is running for New Jersey governor, said Sunday that Democrats need to fight President Donald Trump everywhere, but also clearly communicate the party's direction on policies that directly affect voters. "I think that's the key. There is all about the economy and showing them that that's our number one focus. Can you afford to feed your kids, put clothes on their back, pay your bills, with housing prices and rents where they are," he said during an appearance on CNN Sunday morning.

June 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM EDT
This Trump ally's 'reign of terror' is far from over -- despite 'ignorant' claims to the contrary

Friday afternoon, May 30 founding President Donald Trump holding a media event in the White House Oval Office that marked the end of Tesla/SpaceX/X.com leader Elon Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). During an MSNBC appearance following the event, former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele argued that Musk won't be distancing himself from the Trump Administration in a significant way -- and commented that Musk "is still getting what he needs" from Trump "on the back end."

June 1, 2025 at 12:14 PM EDT
'Catastrophic': Trump is now going after 'the best idea we ever had'

President Donald Trump's push to slash federal spending could have devastating consequences for America's national parks, with proposed budget cuts threatening to gut the Park Service and dismantle protections for the country's most treasured landscapes, the New York Times reported Sunday. In 2023, the latest year with available data, an estimated 325 million people visited national parks, monuments, and historic sites, spending around $26.4 billion in nearby communities. That number grew even higher the following year, with park visits reaching an all-time record of nearly 332 million, per the article by Ted Kerasote, a nature and wildlife writer.

June 1, 2025 at 10:28 AM EDT
Another 'narcissist': MSNBC panel slams Trump ally's 'tremendous conflicts of interest'

On Friday afternoon, May 30, President Donald Trump held a media event in the White House Oval Office to mark the end of Tesla/SpaceX/X.com leader Elon Musk's work with his administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump publicly thanked Musk, who was present during the gathering and helped his administration orchestrate layoffs of countless federal government employees. Conservative attorney George Conway discussed the event during a Sunday morning, June 1 appearance on MSNBC's "The Weekend" and commented that Trump and Musk are perfect for one another -- as they both have controlling, narcissistic personalities.

June 1, 2025 at 9:55 AM EDT
Social Security payments could shrink for some recipients in June -- here's why

Some Social Security recipients could see reduced payments this month due to a policy change allowing garnishment of benefits for unpaid student loans, NBC Philadelphia reported Sunday. This follows an April 21 announcement from the Trump administration that the U.S. Department of Education would restart collection efforts on the nation's $1.6 trillion student loan debt.

June 1, 2025 at 9:40 AM EDT
'Not about the law': George Conway torches Trump's 'lying hypocrisy' on federal judges

During his four months back in the White House, President Donald Trump has issued countless executive orders -- some of which are being blocked, at least temporarily, by federal judges. Trump and his MAGA allies, from Vice President JD Vance to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, are claiming that the federal courts have no business blocking his orders and are failing to respect the executive powers he enjoys as president. But Trump's critics, both left and right, are responding that Trump, Vance and Bondi need to read the U.S. Constitution -- which lays out the role that the federal government's judicial and legislative branches play in the United States' system of checks and balances.

June 1, 2025 at 9:02 AM EDT
'Stifling innovation': Red state newspaper bashes Trump policies in scathing editorial

An editorial published Sunday by Omaha World Herald, a Nebraska-based newspaper, argued that President Donald Trump's tariffs hurt the state's economy, saying that Nebraska's entrepreneurs and shoppers thrive without trade obstacles imposed by the government. It maintained that they need minimal restrictions on trade -- whether within the country or across borders -- as well as a steady and predictable economic environment, which encourages businesses to plan ahead and expand.

June 1, 2025 at 6:13 AM EDT
Outrage grows over a single paragraph buried deep in Republicans' 'Big Beautiful Bill'

A single paragraph buried deep in a spending bill that passed the GOP-controlled House of Representatives earlier this month is causing growing concern among democracy watchdogs who warn the provision will make it so only the well-to-do would be in a good position to launch legal challenges against a Trump administration that has shown over and over again its disdain and disregard for oversight or judicial restraint of any kind.