Stephanie Ruhle isn’t a runner, but she had a very personal reason for taking on the New York City Marathon on November 1.
“My heart needed it,” she tells PEOPLE, of wanting to embrace the connectivity and positivity of the day before she fully dove into covering the 2026 midterm elections.
“I obviously cover the news every day, and it is so hard and so serious,” the MS Now anchor says. “We are constantly hearing from people that they feel disconnected, they feel alone, they feel anger.”
“But I deeply believe that strangers are friends we have not met yet,” she adds.
Ruhle participated alongside Achilles International, an organization that supports athletes with disabilities, serving as part of the guide team for Sarah Heller, who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child and was taking on her 25th marathon.
So good for Stephanie. She's on MS NOW daytime currently with MONEY, POWER, POLITICS WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE after a few years of hosting THE 11th HOUR at the end of the prime time schedule. Now for Darline. Meg Kinnard and Jeffrey Collins (AP) report:
Now supporters of Democrat Annie Andrews can envision something that seemed impossible in this century of double-digit Republican wins — flipping a Senate seat in one of the nation's most reliable GOP strongholds.
Whoever wins will be the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. But that bit of history has taken a backseat to whispers that have grown into actual predictions that Andrews could be the first Democrat since 1998 to win a statewide race for the U.S. Senate or the governor’s office.
Darline Graham, by her own admission, is a reluctant candidate. She was abruptly thrust into the political spotlight after her brother, a U.S. Senate stalwart, died seeking his fifth term.
Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to finish her brother’s term in a widely hailed move, given the siblings’ close relationship. Lindsey Graham helped raise his younger sister after their parents’ early deaths.
Darline Graham's decision to seek a full six-year term was more surprising. The snap primary, organized just a month after Lindsey Graham's death, drew some of the top names in South Carolina politics.
President Donald Trump wanted Darline Graham in the Senate, and he immediately and forcefully backed her. The president had feuded with her brother at times but saw Lindsey Graham as an ally during his second White House term, particularly on the war with Iran.
As Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, an occasional Trump critic, battled it out in a primary runoff, the president campaigned for her in the state and returned twice in the final weeks before the election.
But that presidential backing may be eroding Graham’s support from both sides. It bothers independent voters unhappy with Trump’s second term and Norman supporters on the right who are unhappy that the president interfered in what should be a decision left up to the state’s voters. Both groups are uneasy about Graham’s inexperience and the prospect of turning the seat into a Graham family dynasty.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Today is the end of midterm voting so if you haven't voted yet, please do so. Chump drags his DESPERATION TOUR to the reflecting pool disaster he created, Priss Pot Pete Hegseth is in so much trouble -- losing Chump's favor, awarding a contract to a corrupt company, those he's pissed off gathering evidence for a possible impeachment hearing, Epstein rattles from the grave, an ICE agent who rammed a man with his car breaking the man's leg turns himself in, and much more.
I’m optimistic that the American people recognize that our democratic institutions and sense of decency can bring us together.
We have come back from crises before. We were more divided than we are today during the Revolution, the Civil War, Reconstruction and Vietnam. For 250 years, our country has prevailed in fits and starts, forging achievements, however imperfect, related to race and equality in American life.
But given our divisions, as we vote we must each ask ourselves: What kind of leadership will see us through the current crisis? Why do we continue to support leaders who are invested in deepening our divides, who tap into conspiracy theories to frighten the public, deny facts and, to quote Alexander Hamilton, “throw things into confusion,” so that they “may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind’”?
Most midterm elections are seen as referendums on the policies of the president. This one is no different. But there’s something more fundamental at stake here, beyond policy differences. This election is about the people — who are empowered to check our chief executive — and the candidates running for Congress, who either have sworn an oath to the Constitution or hope to do so. Whether they are prepared to honor their oath should matter enormously to everyone who values the idea of us— the idea of America.
President Donald Trump has been met by a public display of taunts, jeers and NSFW protest signs on his final campaign stretch.
Trump, 80, visited Dubuque, Iowa on Sunday, ahead of Tuesday’s midterm election. The appearance came as the senior president reversed his initial decision to cancel the trip on Thursday, stating he would appear via telerally.
The about-face gave anti-Trump demonstrators the chance to share their thoughts with the president in person.
As the presidential motorcade passed through the streets on the way to the rally venue at the Five Flags Civic Center, a string of protesters held up signs and made obscene gestures at Trump, according to pictures captured by Reuters and Getty photographers.
One NSFW sign read, “2 Days A-----e,” referring to the date of the midterm election, while multiple people were photographed flipping Trump the bird.
Hours before voters will take to the polls in a midterm election that will be considered a review of President Donald Trump’s second term, the president spent his last major televised appearance before Election Day highlighting his troubled Reflecting Pool project and his efforts to reduce crime in Washington, D.C.
Trump spoke for nearly 20 minutes at the Reflecting Pool about the structure’s renovation project and crime and vandalism in Washington, D.C., before pivoting to the election.
He showed photos of grass he alleged had been vandalized, called former FBI Director James Comey a “dirty cop” and joked he is giving “serious consideration” to renaming the Reflecting Pool, a reference to other buildings and institutions Trump has renamed after himself during his second term.
How fitting that his tour would conclude at the site of his big failure. He hired poorly and instead of admitting that, he went on to blame the problems with the reflecting pool on vandals. Atlantic Industrial Coatings admitted that human oversight, design flaws, incompatible chemical layering, and heat-reaction issues resulted in the peeling of the blue liner. Chump couldn't admit to it because he picked them -- that's what he declared April 23rd, that he found them and he selected them. This was a no-bid contract, by the way. So it was a sign of his corruption and his incompetence and his rage. That was just the way to wind down his DESPERATION TOUR. It is his farewell tour in many ways. With him lying about the reflecting pool yet again as AP notes:
The president brought some visual aids to his speech on the Reflecting Pool, holding up photos to show what he deemed to be neglect of the iconic Washington site.
Trump held up pictures of “rusted” pipes and algae as he persisted in claiming that vandalism to his repairs had also been documented, a claim that was undermined in court filings by the president’s own administration.
He'll never do another national tour. Not just because he was falling apart but because there will be no need. No one wants him, correct, but he'll never run for president again. Even if he barnstorms it some for the 2028 candidate, he still won't be the center of attention. This was it. This was the final tour he'll be doing. He can leave the White House, crawl back under his rock and live out the rest of his pitiful days.
Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Sunday that potential Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterms would trigger an internal party debate over the MAGA movement — one he said the GOP needs.
“I do think there will be a debate in the party, and I think we need it,” Bacon said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Host Jake Tapper had asked whether major Republican losses in the House or Senate could mark “the beginning of the end” for MAGA.
Bacon is also saying that a big loss in today's midterms should mean Chump is no longer leader of the GOP.
These days, the lies are far more brazen and blatant, and an accusation of lying barely rates a mention in any news story.
That’s partly -- or largely -- because Trump has turned the Republican Party and the MAGA movement into one big disinformation outfit. He doesn’t spin. He lies over and over, and his party and cult happily go along with and cheer on his deceit. The GOP’s midterm effort that he’s leading -- like his past presidential campaigns -- is foremost a disinformation operation. Trump never stops pumping out extreme falsehoods.
He tells the crowd at one rally that “98 percent” of Somali immigrants in the United States “don’t work…because they steal so much. They all have a Mercedes-Benz…low IQ. And they live better than you.” He repeatedly proclaims that the United States is experiencing an economic Golden Age after he “inherited the worst inflation in American history” and that inflation is down to 1.8 percent. The worst inflation in US history was 23.7 percent in 1920, and it was 3.0 percent when Trump returned to the White House last year. Currently, it’s 3.7 percent.
He calls his Democratic foes and critics “communists.” They are not. Even members of the Democratic Socialists of America are not communists. He continues to spread the debunked MAGA conspiracy theory that James Talarico, the Democratic senatorial candidate in Texas, left the campaign trail to be treated for mental illness. He asserts that Democrats are for “open borders” (they are not) and that President Joe Biden allowed 25 million people to “pour across the borders,” including drug dealers, rapists, and 11,888 murderers. These numbers are exceedingly wrong.
Perhaps the most disturbing lie Trump has been hawking is that schools are performing gender transition operations on children without the knowledge of their parents. This is batcrap crazy -- but it fuels anti-trans paranoia. Schools these days cannot even dispense an aspirin without the consent of a parent. And there is no evidence to support this claim. Does Trump -- and the MAGA devotees he’s trying to stir up -- believe there are operating rooms in schools where these procedures are happening in secrecy?
At a rally in Georgia, Trump went deep on this lie:
We got critical race theory and transgender mutilization insanity out of our schools. I mean, we have five states where your child goes off to school as Tim and comes back as Tammy, three or four days later. It’s true. And teachers make -- somebody makes a decision. Can you imagine? “Goodbye, Timmy. I love you so much. I’ll see you later.” And you say, “Where’s my son? My son is in the hospital.” Can you imagine? Can you imagine? They don’t even need approval. It’s sick. You’ll have five -- I think Minnesota and some others -- I think it’s five or six states. You know that, right?
Donald (“pretend-I’m-on-the-ballot”) Trump has made this election into a referendum on him. Good.
He is a historic anomaly whose election to the highest office in the land -- twice! -- will forever be a stain on the judgment of the American people. A president who lies incessantly; who generates fear and fuels hatefulness; who viciously attacks the free press, political opponents, and all who disagree with him; who uses his office for personal gain; and who cozies up to dictators such as Vladimir Putin while turning against our historic friends, such as Canada.
For the sake of our democracy and our future, we must send a clear signal on Tuesday that we find Trump repugnant. A rejection beyond mere repudiation. A clear vote of no confidence.
While Trump and his Republican enablers have manufactured false threats to America -- Americans who are Muslim, Mexican Americans, Latino Americans, transgender Americans, fraudulent voters, “globalists” -- they dismiss the real threats to America that are growing worse by the day: climate change; widening inequalities of income, wealth, and political power; unregulated AI; and the most expensive and least effective healthcare system in the world.
We must get back to work on what is critical to our future.
Every branch of the federal government is now under the control of the Republican Party, and the Republican Party is under the control of Trump. Unless constrained, he and they will be emboldened — to eliminate what’s left of the Affordable Care Act, to further cut Medicare and Medicaid, to eviscerate Social Security, to give even more tax cuts to the rich and large corporations.
On today's MORNING JOE, Joe and the panel address the closing arguments from Chump and other Republicans.
Bill Scher (WASHINGTON MONTHLY) has done great work for the last six months. Today he notes:
Trump’s strategy to contain a Blue Wave has been to crisscross the country, insert himself in as many Senate races as possible, insist that he is “on the ballot,” and try to juice turnout among his loyalists. As I wrote three weeks ago, several of Trump’s predecessors learned the hard way that presidents aren’t very useful at juicing midterm turnout. And nothing in the last three weeks—from widening Democratic poll leads to worsening inflation numbers to Trump’s fixation on Senator Jon Husted’s ass—suggests he’s going to be an exception.
And even if Trump somehow managed a late turnout surge and fended off the worst outcomes, that should offer Republicans only a modicum of comfort. For one, Trump will never be on the ballot again. A baseball team can’t rely on one relief pitcher forever, and a political party can’t rely on one president forever. That so many Republican incumbents need rescue missions and compelling Republican fresh races are hard to find are signs that the ultra-self-centered Trump has done little to build a bench.
Second, Trump is the main reason why so many Republicans need rescuing. His policy choices on tariffs and Iran were childishly impulsive and erratic, as were his stubborn refusals to change course. The resulting impact on consumer prices hit Americans hard and spared no Republican base voters. At the same time, Trump has flaunted his ability to line the pockets of himself and his family members. He has jettisoned core conservative principles regarding limited government when it suits his political or personal purposes. All of this has ruptured the bond he had forged with Republican base voters and contributed to job approval ratings languishing in the upper 30s.
Trump’s inability to think two steps ahead has also led to boneheaded political mistakes. As Semaforrecently reminded readers, Trump opened two Senate seats, now on the verge of flipping, by plucking Ohio’s JD Vance out of the Senate to be his Vice President and making North Carolina’s Thom Tillis miserable enough that he refused to run for re-election. His longstanding feud with Governor Brian Kemp made it impossible to recruit the popular Georgian to run against Senator Jon Ossoff. He endorsed the scandal-tarred Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the primary against incumbent Senator John Cornyn, and he handpicked the not-ready-for-prime-time Darline Graham to run and keep her late brother’s Senate seat in South Carolina.
More broadly, Trump insistence on personal loyalty made it difficult for most Republican incumbents to develop personas independent of him—which can come in handy when trying to survive a midterm election against the backdrop of an unpopular president.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not been forthcoming about the war in Iran to President Donald Trump, opting instead to classify it in “rosy terms” to keep the president “happy,” according to a bombshell report in The Atlantic.
In the report that dropped on Monday, The Atlantic’s Jon Lemire cites officials close to Trump, who say that Hegseth may be deceiving the president about the state of the war:
Hegseth is not a popular figure in much of the White House. Some close to Trump suggested to us that the defense secretary has not been honest about the state of the war, which he consistently paints in rosy terms to keep Trump happy. “Hegseth is good at telling the president what he wants to hear,” said one of the outside advisers.
At the same time, Trump has been consulting with friends about the performance of Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, Lemire writes.
Trump has also been questioning allies about the job performances of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two outside advisers close to Trump told us. Hegseth and Caine have been two of Trump’s key counselors on the war. In its earliest stages, they were also among the most publicly optimistic about its prospects — although they haven’t held a press conference since May. Trump often solicits opinions from a kitchen Cabinet of friends outside his administration before making any personnel moves.
Chump picked him. His deception and dim witted nature is on Chump. But Chump can never be at fault in his mind so his plan to push the blame all off on Priss Pot Pete is in keeping with Chump's standard operating behavior. Phillip Nieto (DAILY MAIL) writes:
Donald Trump is secretly asking close advisers about whether Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine should be fired after the midterms, even as he weighs restarting the bombing of Iran.
The president has been quizzing allies on the performance of his defense secretary and his Joint Chiefs chairman, the two men who assured him the war would be wrapped up well before the midterms, according to the Atlantic.
A fresh round of strikes could come within days of Tuesday’s vote, advisers said.
As Republicans face the real possibility of losing the House and Senate, Trump has concluded the Iran war would be partly to blame and trained his attention on the advisers who promised a quick and decisive fight.
Speaker of the Closet Mike Johnson sent the House home quick rather than take a vote on US House Rep Thomas Massie's impeachment bill on Priss Pot Pete. When they come back, Johnson most likely will not be able to avoid a vote. If he is or if Hegseth survives the vote, this is the outgoing Congress. The incoming Congress will have much to do and that would include reviewing Hegseth's poor performance as Secretary of Defense. Priss Pot is aware of that and that's why he's expressed interest in having Marsha Blackburn appoint him to her Senate seat should she win tomorrow's race for governor of Tennessee. While he's preparing alternate escape routes, those who have worked with him are compiling information should Congress require it. Susan Greene (DAILY MAIL) reports:
One set of documents is stashed in a gun safe in Northern Virginia. Another sits in a safe deposit box at a Washington, DC, bank. A third is tucked away somewhere on the West Coast.
All three hold evidence that fed-up Defense Department officials hope will force Pete Hegseth out after next week's midterm elections.
Pentagon sources told the Daily Mail they and their colleagues have spent much of the last 22 months compiling emails, memos and meeting notes.
The files detail times the defense secretary and his inner circle allegedly ignored strategic and legal advice, berated the experts who gave it, withheld information from Congress and the public, and threatened the careers of subordinates who either challenged his decisions or struck him as too woke, fat, queer or disloyal.
They figure the paper trail, plus a list of potential witnesses from inside the department, will come in handy if Democrats retake the House in November and, as expected, open an impeachment investigation in 2027.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has made some "uncontrollable enemies" with his political purges in the military, according to a new report — and this may ultimately incentivize President Donald Trump to let go of his controversial cabinet official.
"Two of the officials asserted that Hegseth could work across party lines, depending on how aggressive Democrats were in their investigations," reported The Washington Post's Noah Robertson and Dan Lamothe on Sunday. "Still, several others predicted that his critics, both in Congress and in the Pentagon, could feel more emboldened to oppose him if Democrats take power."
"“Pete has made so many enemies — and uncontrollable enemies,” one person familiar said," according to Robertson and Lamothe.
Earlier in the same article, they noted that the same congressional Republicans who have otherwise toed the line for Trump have found themselves instead drawing the line when it comes to Hegseth.
"With limited exception, Republican lawmakers have declined to stand in Hegseth’s way while he has purged dozens of senior military leaders he’s deemed disloyal, waged an eight-month war in Iran without the consent of Congress and pursued an unprecedented campaign against the illicit drug trade," the Post wrote.
It added, "Democrats would give Hegseth far less room for maneuver once the next Congress convenes in January. Already, some are threatening to investigate and try to remove him from office if they reclaim a majority."
On Monday, a shocking new report revealed that half of U.S. armed forces service members want to quit because of the policies and poor leadership of President Donald Trump and his officials. Experts warn that the situation has become a full-blown “readiness crisis” that reduces the country’s military capabilities.
According to Military.com, a poll conducted by Common Defense “found that 53 percent of active-duty service members want to separate from service sooner because they said the military is becoming more politicized.” The survey revealed that 45 percent of service members are considering quitting specifically because of policy changes and uncertainty under the Trump administration, and that “67 percent agree that decisions affecting service members are being made for political gain, not mission readiness, compared to 25 percent who disagreed.” These findings come amid Trump’s ongoing conflict with Iran, and as the president considers resuming an all-out war following this week’s midterm elections.
"Veterans know what real leadership looks like: you take care of the people under your command and you keep politics out of the mission," said Jose Vasquez, U.S. Army veteran and executive director of Common Defense. "Right now, nearly 8-in-10 veterans and military families say they're being left behind, and active-duty troops are telling us that politicization is pushing them toward the exit. That's not a talking point; it's a readiness crisis.”
This is not surprising and it has been building and this is also why I've noted several times in the last months when the DoD has boasted of recruitment that I'm not so sure those claims are accurate regarding recruitment numbers because, again, I have been told that recruitment numbers have gone down under Priss Pot Pete.
When Hegseth was first nominated by Chump for the position, we noted he was not fit. We noted he had no experience with leadership that indicated he could handle it. We did that because several higher ups were appalled that Hegseth was nominated. We questioned everything about his nomination including his sexism and racism which were already well known. Priss Pot seems to love showing just how unfit he is for the post he holds. Erik De La Garza (RAW STORY) notes:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has awarded weapons maker Raytheon a no-bid contract extension worth up to $394 million — despite its admission to defrauding the military, PunchUp reported Monday.
The two-year radar maintenance extension came a month after the Navy determined that Raytheon could remain eligible for government contracts despite the fraud, according to the report.
“These schemes to defraud caused the DOD to pay Raytheon over $111 million more than Raytheon should have been paid on the contracts,” the Justice Department said in 2024.
Raytheon admitted to inflating the price of an Air Force radar maintenance deal by roughly $11.1 million and committing a separate $100.1 million fraud involving an Army Patriot missile contract. It entered a deferred prosecution agreement requiring three years of government oversight.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on social media that the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, foreign policy decisions regarding Israel and Iran and domestic economic pressures are driving widespread voter backlash against President Donald Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the Tuesday, November 3, midterm elections.
She argued that the administration and party leadership attempted to block transparency and protect influential figures, leading to a bitter public falling-out in which Trump criticized her.
[. . .]
Greene took to X on Sunday, November 1, to explain her bleak midterms forecast for Republicans, writing, “For anyone who is confused about why Democrats are likely to win. Here’s your starter pack of reasons. We tried to stop all this. But Trump doesn’t like me and Massie. He likes his Epstein friends and Netanyahu.”
Chump wanted to protect Epstein's customers. And that may be because he himself was one -- as documented in the Congressional report issued last week. Yohann Thiou (ESPRESSO) notes:
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are calling for a special counsel to investigate the ties between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Their report, released on October 26, brings together several allegations of violence against the U.S. president and challenges the Justice Department’s handling of the case. The White House denies all the allegations.
The 53-page document was presented by Jamie Raskin, the committee’s top Democrat. Its authors examine material concerning 11 women, five of whom directly accuse Trump of rape or assault in circumstances connected to Epstein. The report was prepared by the committee’s Democratic staff.
The authors compiled previously public accounts and expanded on some testimony. They argue that, taken together, this material warrants a criminal investigation into Trump’s possible involvement in Epstein’s exploitation activities. The alleged incidents mainly date from 1992 to 1997, in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
Beatrice Keul is among the accusers. According to the report, the former beauty pageant contestant alleges that Trump raped her at New York’s Plaza Hotel in November 1993. Stacey Williams, Jill Harth, Katie Johnson and an unnamed woman also make direct allegations involving separate incidents.
Immigration. Chump's war on immigrants will impact voting today. He has killed people in this war -- immigrants and US citizens. He has broken up families. He has ruined lives and allowed his ICE to behave like bullies. For example, running over someone with your car is being a bully. Dropping back to October 10th:
Leslie Briones, who is the Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 4, released a statement on Saturday saying, "I am horrified to learn that an ICE vehicle struck a man on Clay Road this morning in Precinct 4. While we wait to learn more, my prayers are with his family. Under the Trump administration, ICE has brought chaos and destruction to communities across our country. ICE must cooperate fully with the Harris County Sheriff's Office and release all video evidence of this incident. We demand full transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law."
Cesar Espinosa with FIEL Houston released a statement on Saturday afternoon saying, "We have more questions than answers. The biggest question we have is why does this keep happening? We demand answers and transparency from all agencies involved. the community needs to know the identities of the agents and if there are charges that are filed for the wrongdoing committed."
Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin released on statement late Saturday afternoon saying, "This morning, there was another incident involving ICE actions in Harris County. Time is of the essence in getting the facts, and the public deserves clear, accurate answers. ICE must cooperate fully with the local investigation. My office supports Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and District Attorney Sean Teare in their ongoing independent investigation, and the Harris County Attorney's Office stands ready to assist and support these critical efforts. We will continue to monitor developments closely as the facts become clear."
Alejandra Salinas, Council Member Houston-At Large for Position 4, released a statement on Facebook Saturday saying, "ICE agents hit a Houstonian with a vehicle while pursuing him during an enforcement operation this morning, leaving him hospitalized with serious injuries. This is yet another example of ICE operating without accountability and harming our community. All video evidence should be released, and ICE must cooperate fully with a transparent investigation by local law enforcement so those responsible are held accountable."
Surveillance video obtained by ABC13 shows the moment an unmarked SUV carrying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ran over a man during a pursuit at a shopping center in west Harris County.
The video shows a white pickup truck stopping along Clay Road, facing oncoming traffic. Two men get out of the truck. One runs toward Highway 6, while the other, identified by ICE as Miguel Parra-Hernandez, runs through a shopping center parking lot.
Moments later, a dark, unmarked SUV turns into the parking lot and runs over Parra-Hernandez.
A witness who spoke with ABC13 on the condition of anonymity said he saw the incident unfold.
"He said, 'Ah! Ah! Ah! You broke my leg! You broke my leg!'" the witness recalled.
So now they're running down suspects -- please note, a suspect, they had no idea who this man was -- with their cars and inflicting physical damage.
ICE is out of control. They are terrorizing people across the country. They are poorly trained and often unqualified. Which makes them not unlike their current leader Markwayne Mullin.
A federal immigration officer charged with aggravated assault after he ran over a Mexican man with his car in Houston will turn himself in on Monday, according to his attorney.
Mario Alberto Morales, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old construction worker, with his unmarked SUV on Oct. 10, as he chased Parra Hernandez through a parking lot. A grand jury indicted Morales on Friday on a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Morales is planning to turn himself in at a courthouse sometime on Monday, David Lindenmuth, his attorney, told The Associated Press. Lindenmuth previously told the AP that the incident was “clearly just an accident” and that local officials had “invented a crime out of thin air.”
ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales turned himself in Monday after being indicted last week in connection with running over a man who was on foot. The case has put Morales’ work record under scrutiny and called attention to the administration’s hiring surge last year to fill in immigration enforcement posts.
The case has escalated criticism of the administration’s attempt to quickly increase the ranks of ICE officers to fulfill President Donald Trump’s mass deportation pledge, just as voters are heading to the polls for midterm elections.
[. . .]
Video of the collision captured by cameras from local businesses and bystanders recorded Morales pursuing Parra, who exits a stopped truck and begins running. Morales’ vehicle makes a quick left turn in front of a stopped vehicle and hits Parra.
Morales’ body camera video captures the officer saying, “You got hit with the car, bro,” turning Parra over, straightening his leg, trying to pick him up from under his arms and telling others he should be moved into the car.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:
Lawmakers warn that OSHA’s rollback of respirator rules could endanger workers, exposing them to hazardous chemicals and airborne illnesses
“The Labor Department is endangering workers and prioritizing the interests of unscrupulous employers over Americans who work hard to provide for their families.”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) led their colleagues, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), alongside 23 U.S. Representatives, in calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to abandon its proposed rollback of workplace respirator protections. In a letter to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Keeling, the lawmakers warned that the changes could expose workers to dangerous chemicals and airborne hazards, despite objections from labor unions, medical professionals, and industry experts.
“OSHA now seems to be moving rapidly to finalize the removal of critical respiratory protections from more than a dozen OSHA standards. Most OSHA standards take years to move through the same steps these respirator rules have in a matter of months,” wrote the lawmakers.
The proposed rules would weaken requirements for employers to provide effective respirators to workers exposed to hazardous substances, including lead, asbestos, formaldehyde, and inorganic arsenic. The changes would also eliminate medical evaluation requirements for employees who wear certain types of respirators, raising concerns about the risks to workers with underlying health conditions.
“Unions, medical professionals, and industry experts have cautioned you against removing this requirement. In fact, the Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), which is statutorily required to provide advice to OSHA on construction-related issues, recommended that you not proceed with this rulemaking,” continued the lawmakers.
National Nurses United also warned that weakened respirator programs could leave health care workers exposed to airborne hazards that cause serious illness, long-term health problems, and death. Labor unions and construction industry groups have also raised concerns about the risks to workers and employers.
“The Labor Department is endangering workers and prioritizing the interests of unscrupulous employers over Americans who work hard to provide for their families,” concluded the lawmakers.
The proposed respirator changes are part of a broader Department of Labor deregulatory effort. Since July 2025, OSHA has proposed more than 60 deregulatory actions, including changes to workplace safety requirements covering general workplace hazards, construction lighting, and safety color codes.
In addition to Warren and Omar, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
Darline Graham had just been sworn in to finish her late brother’s Senate term when she was in the Oval Office trying to coax President Trump to support Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill. It was then that Trump asked her to run for a full six-year term, something she said she hadn’t previously considered. Now polls show her tied with or trailing Democrat Annie Andrews, making South Carolina competitive in a way it hasn’t been for decades. “It’s just been absolutely brutal,” Graham said, referencing how she lost her brother and competed in three elections in a span of months. Josh Dawsey spent the day with Graham on the campaign trail as she fights to keep her brother’s seat.
Nepo Baby Darline wants to grab Lindsey's seat. That conjures so many images and none of them flattering. Darline is saying that all you need to be a US senator is to have the same blood line. You do not need to have done public service. You do not need to be an expert in foreign policy -- as Darline made clear in her GOP primary debate. You just need to be the useless sibling of someone who has held the Senate seat and you are qualified.
I am so hopeful that the people of South Carolina will send her the message tomorrow that no, it is not enough. We need experience. We need skill.
Predictable appears to be the results we'll get on Tuesday when the midterm voting ends.
For nearly two years now, Donald Chump, convicted felon, has destroyed the United States in a similar manner to what he did to the White House's East Wing. The moody, hysterical and attention seeking Chump is like an obscenely fat man stomping through a china shop -- not a bull, mind you, a very fat man whose girth may not fit down the aisles. Wiggle those wide hips jut a tad too much and he's knocking everything over.
And that's how he's spent the last two months. Knocking over his own party's attempts to win the midterms. Last week, Matthew Rozsa (ALTERNET) reported:
A pair of journalists who have written inside information-filled accounts about President Donald Trump explained his brazen corruption simply: He does not care if Americans are angry or Republicans are hurt at the polls.
"Where are we?" MS NOW anchor Nicolle Wallace asked on Thursday to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. "We’re five days out from an election where every single poll I’ve seen that’s become public, whether it’s commissioned by Democrats or Republicans, has Democrats very likely taking over the House, potentially the Senate as well."
Chump scheduled a party convention for Dallas, Texas. It took place over two days in September. Most Republicans skipped it. The few who attended or watched it on screens were left underwhelmed because Chump offered nothing new. It was all about him. That's not at all surprising if you were paying attention in June and July when he turned America's semiquincentennial into a self-celebration.
In their new book WTF AMERICA?!: THE WAY OUT OF THIS HELL AND BACK TO DEMOCRACY, Ben, Brett and Jordy Meiselas chart their own rise via MEIDASTOUCH NEWS as the contrast to Chump's rise to power. They emerged during COVID as Chump was in the White House telling his lies and being ineffectual but not the monster he'd become ahead of January 6, 2021 and later. That's because he had some grown ups in the room who told him "no." The grown ups are gone and Chump has no one left who questions his worst impulses and criminal desires.
The Meiselas brothers saw truth as the power to be used against Chump and knew that they had to hit hard. And they have hit hard. It's an interesting book, well written and involving, with a clever turn of phrase (such as "Just His Department" for the Justice Department) popping up regularly.
Well written and with cleaver turns of phrases describes the two best shows for fall -- both on NBC -- LINE OF FIRE and NEWLYWEDS. The latter is a sitcom starring Tea Leoni and Tim Daly that was created by Gail Lerner and Jamie Lee Curtis with the plan that Jamie Lee would star in it as the newlywed wife. Instead, Tea Leoni is playing that part with real-life husband Tim Daly the newlywed husband and Jamie Lee shows up as Tim's ex-wife. The cast is first-rate and also includes Bill O'Neill, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Emma Meisel and Al Madrigal. Tea's doing her just-woke-up character and it fits perfectly with Tim Daly's more caffeinated performance. Best of all is Jamie Lee Curtis who starts off strong in the first episode but grows stronger with each episode. You care about all the characters. We think this could be a long running and popular sitcom. We hope that anyway. After the sixth episode, Gail Lerner was fired. We're hoping this won't mean a crash in quality.
LINE OF FIRE is a drama (soap opera) about a family who works for the government in various department. Peter Krause is Mike Hollingsworth (Secret Service), Hope Davis is his wife Jane (US Marshals Service), Kat Cunning is daughter Clare (FBI), Tommy O'Brien is son Junior (like Mike Sr., Junior is Secret Service), Taylor Bloom is son Russ (Dept of Justice National Security Division) and Charlie Barnett is son Jack (presumed dead by his family but working for the CIA apparently). There are all sorts of secrets and confidences being hidden and broken.
It's got the kind of non-stop drama you expect from a TV series.
Which is also the kind of non-stop drama Chump brings to the Oval Office which, being real life, not only doesn't entertain, it doesn't sustain.
The midterms are tomorrow. Vote, please, if you haven't already.
Monday, November 2, 2026. The midterms are only one day away, the mood of the country is one demanding changes as voters struggle with the economy that Chump destroyed, Haley Stevens is this election cycle's Rashida Tlaib, Senator Murray and Baldwin call out Secretary of Education Linda McMahon's plan to spend $43 million redecorating her office and much more.
One day until November 3rd. That's all it is, one day. After all this time waiting. The midterms are November 3rd. Every seat in the House is up for election -- 435 -- and there are 35 Senate seats that people are running for. And, as Jake Tapper observed on CNN's STATE OF THE UNION, "But at this point, the outcome is largely out of the hands of the politicians and the parties and the pundits and the pollsters, and it is up to the public, to you. You get to decide. And we are waiting to see the choices you make." The voters are in the drivers seat now. If Democrats turn out, they should have a lock on this election. They've had the increase in registration. They've had the increase in enthusiasm. Over 50 million people have already voted in early voting. In 2022's midterms? By this point only 45.1 million had early voted in person or by mail.
So five million more people have been energized to vote early in the midterms today. That enthusiasm is not coming from Republicans.
KRISTEN WELKER: Good Sunday morning. With less than 48 hours until Election Day, Democrats and Republicans are fighting for control of Congress. President Trump is heading to Iowa and Kansas today -- two states with critical Senate races that could determine the balance of power in Washington. And this morning, we have the results of our final NBC News poll before Election Day. NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki is at the big board. Steve, it all comes down to this.
STEVE KORNACKI: Yeah, Kristen, good morning to you. This is our final temperature check before we get those votes, start coming in on Tuesday. So where do things stand heading into there? Donald Trump’s approval rating, it sits in our final pre-election poll at 40% approval and 60% on the disapprove side. Now remember, this is Trump’s second midterm. Back in 2018, Republicans lost control of the House. They lost 40 seats in the House. They actually were okay in the Senate that year. What was his approval rating heading into that midterm in 2018? It was higher. It was 46% in our final poll then. So by this metric, Trump is in worse shape heading into his second midterm than into his first one. There is also this: the generic ballot. Which party would you like to see control Congress? The advantage there in our poll is seven points for the Democrats, 52-45. That is an uptick of two points from when we last polled this around Labor Day. And again compare this to 2018 and 2022, the two most recent midterms, it was dead even before the 2022 midterms, with a six point edge for Republicans back in 2018. So what are the ingredients going into these numbers here? Overwhelmingly it is this: how do you feel about the current state of the economy? Barely one quarter of voters say they’re satisfied with it. Almost three quarters say they’re dissatisfied. Again, compare this to Trump’s first midterm in 2018. I think this is why his standing in that approval rating is lower now. Because look at this, in 2018 the economy was his strong suit. Nearly 70% of voters on the eve of that midterm were satisfied with it. Total opposite right now. And then there is this one. Your own personal financial situation: 49 satisfied, 51 dissatisfied. Two notes on this: Again, in Trump’s first midterm in the run-up to it, the number -- sorry it’s not cooperating there. But the number was much higher back then. And this 51% figure that you see right here for dissatisfied, that is the first time in over 30 years of the NBC poll that the dissatisfaction number has been at that level, has been a majority. And so an--d the advantage here for the -- sorry about this board, Kristen, finally got it to cooperate there. But which party would do a better job on key issues? This also tells the story here. When it comes to inflation, Democrats with an advantage of a point. That may not seem like much. But this was like a 20 point advantage for Republicans just a couple years ago as Trump was returning to the White House. Same thing here on the economy. That is a two point advantage for Republicans. But again, this was Trump’s strong suit. This has historically been a strong suit. For those to even be close, that represents ground gained by Democrats. Again, there are a number of folks who say they aren’t sure and don’t favor either party on it. But again, those are advantages there clearly the Democrats have carved out here. Is there hope for Republicans? The one number they would point to would simply be, and this is a difference from 2018, the image of the two political parties here. Republicans are not popular. But their number overall as a party, their favorable, unfavorable number, about where it was in 2018. The Democrats, though, Kristen, only 29% favorable right now. That’s different than 2018. And that is one of the questions heading into Tuesday. In ‘18 the Democrats as a party, they were positioned to take votes from voters who were dissatisfied with Trump. Does the Democratic Party have more baggage now in a way that will prevent it from capitalizing on all of these other numbers we’re showing you?
That's a good question.
However, no one has more baggage than Chump and no one has disappointed voters more than Chump which is why he's at 33% and 32% approval in most polls. It's a record low. For him or anyone else. And he's worried. He should be. Forget the polls, the historical model on midterms shows the party that holds the White House losing one or both houses of Congress.
Mary Bruce told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's THIS WEEK that "behind the scenes, there is a sense of unease here at the White House. The president has been short-tempered, and he does have a lot at stake beyond just the control of Congress. The president wants to show that he still has command over his party, command over his base, and, of course, fend off enhanced investigations and oversight, George."
Chump has a great deal at stake on Tuesday. If Democrats win control of even one house, they'll have investigative power and they'll have the power to hold him in check. It will also be the death bell ringing on Chump's political career announcing to all the land that the ogre is fading.
Which, in fairness, tends to happen when the president can't run for re-election after the midterms. The little that he has accomplished is pretty much it for him if Dems control one house of Congress.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's turn to our team of correspondents covering the issues driving the voters in the midterms. Economy, biggest one of all. I want to start with Elizabeth Schulze in Washington. Cost of living overwhelming all other issues, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH SCHULZE, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: No question. Good morning, George. And the price of gas is on track to set an election day record. Gas right now averaging $4.14 a gallon. Diesel, the lifeblood of the economy, is at $6.30. And this has now been the longest stretch on record with gas above $4 a gallon and it is dominating the midterms. This new Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found 72 percent of Americans say the cost of living is on the wrong track. Three-quarters of voters, including half of Republicans, disapprove of President Trump's handling of inflation and prices. And the reality is that the president's policies have fueled inflation. The spike in oil from the Iran War has driven up prices across the economy. Tariffs are contributing to higher costs for goods. And as a result of the president's signature tax and spending law, millions of lower-income Americans have lost access to federal benefits like food assistance and health care. The overall big picture, George, is that consumer spending has been very resilient, but more people are dipping into their savings to cover these higher costs, and wages are no longer keeping up with prices, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Elizabeth, so much of the economy right now is being driven by A.I. spending. It's also driving the stock market -- but a backlash developing on the campaign trail.
SCHULZE: Yes, and this is really a litmus test from voters on how they view A.I., which has been propping up stocks and the broader economy. A new report out this week from the government showed that half of all of economic growth in the U.S. in the third quarter came from business investment fueled by spending on A.I. We have seen tech companies pour hundreds of billions of dollars into building out data centers. So, there are new fears on Wall Street over how long it might take for that investment to pay off. And in town halls across the country, our team has seen this bipartisan, grassroots opposition to these data centers. Republicans have flipped on this issue, but President Trump has doubled down on them, George.
I spent the better part of a year trying to answer one question: Why do Americans feel this bad about an economy that, on paper, is this good? Some 74% of Americans rate the economy as poor, not far off the 84% who said the same in 2009, when the country was shedding jobs by the hundreds of thousands.
People who handed me, a stranger, their bank statements because nobody else was asking aren’t going to be won over by a mailer. “Cooling” inflation sounds like an insult to people whose rent doubled and stayed doubled. When a family is one ordinary bill from the edge, its backup plan is sleeping in the car. People who spent years blaming themselves have started blaming the people in charge. Parents and grandparents are wondering if their children will get to stay in the places they built.
This is an electorate that is angry and unconvinced its vote changes anything. In the closest races in the country, it may not matter which candidate has the better plan. It may matter which one people finally believe was listening.
I built the spreadsheets first. I’m a numbers guy, and I won’t apologize for it. But the spreadsheets didn’t explain it. More than four dozen people across six episodes did, though, at their own kitchen tables, usually with their bills spread out in front of us.
Here are the five things they taught me that no top-line number will.
1) The price tag never resets.
When Washington says inflation is cooling, it means prices are rising more slowly. It doesn’t mean anything got cheaper. That distinction sounds like economist hair-splitting. At the kitchen table, it’s everything.
Jolene Simecek’s rent in Cleveland went “from $785 to nearly $1,600” for the same apartment in the space of seven years. “When I file my taxes,” she told me, “my income is definitely not doubled.”
In Tampa, Phebie White’s rent climbed from $850 to $1,250 while her Social Security check sat still. “Your bills are going to go up,” she said, “but your Social Security is not going to go up.” Annual adjustments, known as COLAs, have not kept pace with rising expenses in recent years.
Prices are up 6.8% since December 2024. Average hourly pay is up 5.9%. That gap is the whole story in two numbers, and it’s why “the economy is improving” lands like an insult.
The thing about inflation is that once things like canned soup go up at the grocery store, they don't come down. Fresh produce may. But canned vegetables? Their price doesn't come down. That's true of most things at any grocery store. For people consuming fast food, it's even worse. $15 dollars and more for a single person's meal at McDonald's or Burger King? And that's not going down.
Inflation, especially gas prices, has soared over the last year. The job market has been in stasis, and higher interest rates have meant it’s more expensive for Americans to borrow money for loans and mortgages.
These fluctuations have a concrete impact on the lives of Americans. A recent Harris poll for the Guardian found that a majority of Americans, including some Republicans, disagree. Nearly two-thirds said they believe the country is experiencing a recession, and many said higher prices had been a pain point. Americans are reporting having trouble saving, and a third polled said one surprise bill could sink them financially.
That's a reality, a very ugly reality, for most Americans. And yet they see Chump wasting millions redecorating the White House and going golfing every weekend and doing everything but the job of a president. They see him enriching himself through various corrupt means and they're struggling and they've got a president who refuses to speak to that struggle, a president who denies it's taking place.
Over dozens of interviews across the country in recent days, Americans from across the political spectrum detailed the financial gymnastics of keeping pace with rent hikes and mounting utility bills, along with rising prices for gas, groceries and even Halloween candy. Many voters directly blamed Mr. Trump and his party for the high cost of living.
“The prices of everything we normally buy have gone up and up dramatically,” said Dwayne Stanford, a father of eight in suburban Cincinnati, who chose only Democratic candidates during early voting in his state. “It’s just the everyday stuff.”
“Everybody’s feeling it in terms of inflation,” said Bret Rhodus, 52, an independent voter from Douglas County, Kan. “College costs, because I’m kind of in that stage of life. But even, like, the price of a pizza.”
“It’s expensive,” said Sophia Gallerani, 80, a retiree who said she cast her ballot for the Republican ticket on the first day of early voting in Tucson, Ariz. “Basic needs like eating and gas for getting to appointments if I have any or going to church.”
The worries of voters, which cross lines of generation and gender, race and political ideology, reflect the anxieties of a country convinced that the American dream is slipping away. In polls, focus groups and interviews, voters described some of the traditional promises of a middle-class life — health care, a college education, homeownership and retirement — as becoming rapidly unaffordable. They fear their children will live a worse life than they do.
Ben (MEIDASTOUCH) covers the mood of the country ahead of the midterms in today's video below.
Even with the midterms just one day away, there we will be bumps along the way. This election cycle's Rashida Tlaib, for example, is Haley Stevens. Stevens lost the Democratic Party primary to Dr Abdul El-Sayed and then was going to help him. But her help wasn't help, people quickly noticed and she tore away the costume yesterday. Before she did, this exchange took place on NBC's MEET THE PRESS:
KRISTEN WELKER: Thank you so much for being here in person. Let’s start with the dramatic developments out of Michigan. You have this last-minute intra-party fighting between Abdul El-Sayed and his challenger in the primary, Haley Stevens. She has criticized his views on Israel. She’s upset that he hasn’t disavowed an ad that he had nothing to do with that she says was antisemitic. Let me ask you, could this cost Democrats the seat in Michigan?
REP. JAMIE RASKIN: No. I spoke last night to Haley Stevens, and I spoke to Abdul as well, and my wonderful friend Haley Stevens wants me to represent to you and everybody else I talk to that she is voting straight down the line on the Democratic ticket, and she’s going to be celebrating with Democrats across the country when we win on Tuesday night. And this is inside the Beltway, inside baseball imbroglio, so I believe that we’re going to have a landslide in Michigan for lots of candidates, like Callie Barr in the 1st District, like Sean McCann. I think Michigan’s going to be in great shape. And the Democrats have really never been more unified or more focused, because everybody understands the big picture here. Are we going to have progress under Democratic government, or are we going to have continuing corruption under authoritarian chaos with Donald Trump and all of his MAGA followers? That’s the big picture here. Haley gets it. Abdul gets it. And I think what we’re going to see on Tuesday night is a reflection of that.
Shortly after Raskin had made his statements regarding his "wonderful friend Haley Stevens" voting straight Democrat on her ballot, Stevens endorsed Mike Rogers. Tim Balk and Reid J. Epstein (NEW YORK TIMES) report:
Facing a bleak electoral outlook two days before Election Day, Republicans received a dash of positive news Sunday in Michigan, where the Democrat who lost a primary fight to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed endorsed his Republican opponent for Senate and deepened an intraparty rift.
The surprise endorsement of Mike Rogers by Representative Haley Stevens outraged many of her fellow Democrats, who condemned her for potentially endangering a crucial Senate seat. Republicans were hoping it could provide some momentum in the face of widespread voter discontent with President Trump, as reflected in a final poll from The New York Times and Siena University released Sunday night.
[. . .]
Ms. Stevens’s endorsement in Michigan rocked the race for a seat that is Republicans’ best chance to flip a seat. “I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Ms. Stevens said in a video posted on social media Sunday afternoon. “I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.”
Democrats were furious over Ms. Stevens’s reversal — Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called it a “despicable betrayal” — but Dr. El-Sayed told reporters, “None of this matters.”
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Election Day in America is just two days away. We're following a major developing story out of Michigan. Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens breaking with her party today and endorsing GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers over her former primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed, in a stunning last-minute flip. [. . .] All right, let's get right to CNN correspondent Brian Todd at an auto workers union event in Detroit. And Brian, I mean, key to so many thoughts today is what happened in Michigan today with the Democrat throwing her support behind the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. And, you know, the response coming from Abdul El-Sayed, I mean, he says, you know what, it doesn't really matter. He's not thinking about Haley Stevens, but he's thinking about families who are struggling to get food on the table. So, what is the message from where you are right now?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the message from here and elsewhere around the Detroit area and Michigan and the message really coming from Michigan's top Democratic powerbrokers, the fallout from Haley Stevens decision has really been more vitriolic among the top Democratic powerbrokers in the state of Michigan. And by that, I mean a Michigan Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, and also Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. She is one of the most senior Democratic figures in the entire state of Michigan. She has been trying to broker kind of a peace agreement between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens. She's trying to broker some solidarity between the two of them for the past several days. And she is pretty much stunned by this decision from Haley Stevens. I caught up with Congresswoman Dingell at this event just a short time ago. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D), MICHIGAN: Like, I was stunned since she had told me she wasn't doing that last night at midnight. But, you know, it's just drama that doesn't matter. She has actually helped Abdul. His fundraising is up. People in Detroit are outraged. I just want to focus on what the issues are on Tuesday and remind people what's at stake, the cost of living, a broken health care system, and the corruption in Washington.
TODD: Does she have a future in the Democratic Party here in Michigan or anywhere?
DINGELL: Unfortunately, she seriously hurt herself.
TODD: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: That was also the refrain from the Michigan Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, who we spoke to just a short time ago before I talked to Haley Stevens. Curtis Hertel maybe even more vitriolic against Haley Stevens than Ms. Dingell was. Hertel saying that basically, she betrayed the Democratic Party, that she betrayed her constituents, that she has no future in the Democratic Party. So, this has been the fallout, at least from top Michigan Democrats to this, Fredricka, has just been really extraordinary here. Of course, both Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed kind of trying to play it down. Haley Stevens saying, hey, I'm just one vote, that 90 percent of my other votes are going to be for Democrats. Abdul El-Sayed saying, I don't really think about Haley Stevens or Mike Rogers, I'm focusing on the issues. But clearly, you know, the behind the scenes vitriol and the maneuvering behind the scenes here in Michigan and the continued fallout is really palpable. We're going to, of course, see in the next couple of days how that plays out in the voting booth. But, you know, it really has been just a very dramatic morning, afternoon, and evening here in the Detroit area.
She is garbage now. She's the new Rashida Tlaib. In 2024, Rashida refused to endorse Kamala Harris for president. Which meant Rashida was endorsing Donald Chump. He won. And? Rashida's never taken responsibility for what happened after that. Not for all the suffering in this country, not for the lives destroyed by Chump's war on immigrants, and she certainly hasn't acknowledged that her choice is responsible for the deaths of between 27,500 to 29,000 Palestinians in Gaza which, for the record, is the estimated number of those who have been killed since Chump was inaugurated January 20, 2025.
Nearly 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza killed.
But Rashida knew best. She campaigned against Kamala. What is about these elected 'Democrats' in Michigan that makes them so eager to destroy their own party?
In fairness to Rashida, she was never a Democrat. She just pretended she was. It was only after badgering at the start of 2025 that she finally admitted she was DSA. Well, DSA Rashida, you got what you wanted: Kamala did not become president. And what you wanted also 'gifted' you with the deahts of nearly 30,000 Palestinians. And, excuse me, Rashida, thats a count that's going to rise because Chump is in bed with Netanyahu. You were an idiot for thinking otherwise. You betrayed the party when you attacked Kamala.
Haley Stevens is nothing to the party because she's this year's Rashida Tlaib.
In other news, Steven Sloan (AP) reports Senator Chris Murphy had a stroke on Saturday. Let's all wish him a quick and thorough recovery. Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:
Top appropriators call on Education Secretary to scrap plans to refurnish her office
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon calling on her to scrap plans to spend over $43,000 in taxpayer dollars on new furniture for her office.
“It has come to our attention that as you cut off funding for students, push out staff, and do all you can to illegally dismantle the very Department you lead, you plan to spend $43,278.64 on new furniture for your own office,” write Murray and Baldwin. “You vowed to put yourself out of a job; now you expect American taxpayers to pick up the tab to refurnish your own office.”
“Secretary McMahon, you have asked students, families, and teachers across the country to endure extraordinarily painful cuts in the name of ‘fiscal responsibility,’ and you have pushed out nearly half of the staff at the Department… This year, you have asked Congress to slash funding for important K-12 programs and to cut funding for higher education programs by nearly $5 billion,” they continue. “But it is clear that you do not think that you should have to abide by the same rules you want to apply to others.”
Senators Murry and Baldwin conclude by calling on Secretary McMahon to scrap the planned purchases, which the Department claimed were necessary in part because the Secretary’s existing furniture “cannot be … aesthetically integrated into the agency’s new office space.” They write: “The American people are sick of the corruption, sick of the waste, and sick of the hypocrisy coming out of all corners of this administration.”
It has come to our attention that as you cut off funding for students, push out staff, and do all you can to illegally dismantle the very Department you lead, you plan to spend $43,278.64 on new furniture for your own office. While schools nationwide lose out on funding Congress provided for everything from literacy programs to student mental health because of actions taken by your Department, you are wasting tax dollars on frivolous furniture purchases. You vowed to put yourself out of a job; now you expect American taxpayers to pick up the tab to refurnish your own office.
Secretary McMahon, you have asked students, families, and teachers across the country to endure extraordinarily painful cuts in the name of “fiscal responsibility,” and you have pushed out nearly half of the staff at the Department in a chaotic, illegal campaign to fire employees tasked with protecting students with disabilities in the classroom and going after predatory student lenders. This year, you have asked Congress to slash funding for important K-12 programs and to cut funding for higher education programs by nearly $5 billion—including by destroying programs like TRIO and Federal Work Study.
But it is clear that you do not think that you should have to abide by the same rules you want to apply to others. As you illegally spin off the Department’s core functions to other agencies and are forcing hundreds of your employees to move to agencies across government, apparently your old furniture cannot be moved to your new office.
We want the Department of Education to have a safe and professional office space to work from—but that must mean a safe and professional office space for every employee, not merely the Secretary. While you use Americans’ tax dollars to refurnish your own new office, you have forced your own employees to go work in offices that “are unsafe and in disrepair, with water leaking from ceilings, mold in kitchens, extreme temperatures from a failing HVAC system, insect traps filled with dead bugs and live insects in lactation rooms and work areas.” Your Department claims that the existing furniture in your office “cannot be … aesthetically integrated into the agency’s new office space.” It is unjustifiable to buy new furniture while students lose access to education services you are illegally dismantling and suffer from painful funding cuts that were not authorized by Congress.
The American people are sick of the corruption, sick of the waste, and sick of the hypocrisy coming out of all corners of this administration. They deserve a full accounting of how and why their tax dollars are being used to buy new office furniture for a secretary whose stated mission is to put themselves out of a job. We urge you to reconsider this wasteful purchase, restore Congressionally mandated funding families are counting on, and refocus your Department’s time on helping students get ahead.
