The Weekend

September 12, 2026, 9 AM; That was his message to Republicans in Dallas this week as he closed out a two day, so-called Trump-a-palooza convention that was ostenibly supposed to gin up enthusiasm for Republican candidates. One of the realities Republicans now have to live with is Trump's promise of a payment to Americans if Republicans hold Congress. Those government checks have not been authorize...

September 12, 2026, 8 AM; The captured island is a key alternative shipping route for Saudi oil. It comes after Saudi Arabia said it shut down its crucial East-West oil pipeline on Friday as a "precaution" from being targeted by drones launched in Iraq. Despite having knowledge of the sobering information, Vice President J.D. Vance along with President Donald Trump and other top White House offici...

September 12, 2026; 7am: As Republicans attended the ‘Trumpapalooza’ midterm convention in Dallas, Democrats provided a counter message to voters. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was among those calling out President Trump's historic unpopularity and voters' growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iran and high prices. The Weekend’s Eugene Daniels spoke exclusively with Governor Pritzker about what...

September 6, 2026; 9am: As mail-in ballots are already being sent out to voters, the Trump administration is still trying to change the rules over those very ballots. A federal judge on Friday extended her temporary injunction barring the USPS from advancing Trump’s new vote-by-mail restrictions. But, now the Justice Department is appealing that decision, while its earlier appeal of the judge’s or...

September 6, 2026, 8 AM; The event dubbed "Trump-a-palooza" by some kicks off Wednesday in Dallas, with the President the star of the show he's called "a rally like none other!” With just days before the two day event starts, it's already plagued with concerns about turnout and Trump fatigue. Michael Scherer and Jake Traylor join The Weekend to discuss the convention. For more, follow us on social...

September 6, 2026; 7am: Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv for their first visit to Ukraine as part of a renewed push from the Trump Administration to end Russia's war. Just yesterday, Witkoff and Kushner met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow for more than three hours. Former DHS Chief of Staff Miles Taylor and Former Congresswoman Susan Wild, join “The Weekend” to dis...

September 5, 2026, 9 AM; The President is urging Republicans to run on his record and says he is going to hit the road for candidates despite his sagging popularity. If he can’t win over skeptical Americans, he seems determined to block some of them from casting their ballots. But so far the courts are standing in his way. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) joins The Weekend to discuss the the final stretch o...

September 5, 2026, 8 AM; The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the U.S. added 162,000 jobs in August - far more than expected - while the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%. But with midterm elections less than two months away, Americans continue to sour on what President Donald Trump calls a "roaring" economy, as his tariffs and the ongoing war with Iran threaten to i...

September 5, 2026; 7am: President Trump suggests all Republicans have to do ahead of the midterms is talk about his record but his actions from the Iran war to his trade war with Canada have become increasingly unpopular. MS NOW has confirmed President Trump will speak Wednesday and Thursday night at next week’s convention in Dallas. However, some congressional Republicans are planning to skip the...

August 30, 2026; 9am: Republican lawmakers are privately admitting that Trump is being described to them by Republican voters as exhausting. Plus, Trump continues to center himself in midterms, even as his approval rating sinks. Former Democratic Washington Governor Jay Inslee and former Republican Ohio Governor and MS NOW Political Analyst, John Kasich join “The Weekend” to discuss.   ...

August 30, 2026; 8am: President Trump is feuding with a top ally that could lead to price hikes for Americans. After Trump’s trade with Canada collapsed, and both countries hit each other with tariffs, the trade war took a bizarre twist. Not only did Trump sign an executive order to formally rename ‘Lake Ontario’ to ‘Lake America,’ he also shared an AI generated video on Truth Social depicting an...

August 30, 2026; 7am: Yesterday, Michigan Democrats put up a united front in their first convention since their contentious primary. Democratic candidate for Governor Jocelyn Benson and Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed took the stage and called on the people of Michigan to fight against the actions of the Trump Administration. And in Texas, Democratic Candidate James Talarico has taken a...

August 29, 2026; 9am: The Trump administration has appealed a ruling temporarily blocking his efforts to restrict mail-in voting, after a Massachusetts federal judge prohibited the U.S. postal service from carrying out Trump’s plan. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is part of the lawsuit over Trump’s mail-in ballot order, and Brendan Ballou, former federal prosecutor and former lawye...

August 29, 2026; 8am: ICE arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, a 15% jump from the previous month and the highest single monthly arrest total since the start of President Trump's second term. Just this week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the wife of an active-duty soldier was deported back to Honduras. She is at least the 7th spouse or parent of an active-duty service member...

August 29, 2026; 7am: This week marks 6 months since the start of the war with Iran, a war Trump originally said should last only 4-5 weeks. There’s no end in sight, but Trump posted a meme on social media declaring ‘mission accomplished.’ Plus, as Trump reignites an unnecessary trade war with Canada, Americans continue to worry about affordability. MS NOW White House reporter Laura Barron-Lopez a...

August 23, 2026; 9am: As Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing affordability crisis, Trump's policies are again threatening to drive the prices we pay even higher. Trump took to Truth Social to claim Canada wanted “the benefits of being a state, without being one.” It comes after Canada said Saturday it would match "dollar for dollar" Trump's new 50% tariffs that went into effect after tr...

August 23, 2026, 8 AM; This week, the Cook Political Report shifted Senate races in Texas and Iowa to the left: from "lean Republican" to "toss-up." MS NOW still rates both of these races as Lean Republican. Meanwhile, MS NOW's Political Unit is characterizing Senate races in Alaska and Ohio as toss-ups, two seats that are currently held by Republicans. Terrance Woodbury and Rachel Bitecofer join...

August 23 2026; 7am: As U.S./Canada trade talks fall apart, President Trump is holding yet another spectacle in Washington, D.C. that taxpayers are contributing to -- a massive "Freedom 250 Grand Prix" IndyCar race throughout the streets of Washington, D.C. Later today, Trump will wave the green flag and will also reportedly take a “lap of honor” in The Beast. Taxpayers are footing the bill for se...

August 22 2026; 9am: Last night at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, President Trump conceded that voters may not be very enthusiastic about this year's midterm elections, but encouraged them to "pretend" he's on the ballot. This comes as three more Trump-endorsed candidates lost this week in Republican primaries in Florida and Wyoming. According to MS NOW's "Races to Watch," one of the best picku...

August 22, 2026, 8 AM; The Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration this week for violating the Freedom of Information Act by failing to turn over “records about any plans to seize ballots, voting machines or other election materials before the 2026 midterms are certified.” The concerns over Trump potentially interfering in the midterm elections are shared by election officials...

August 22, 2026, 7 AM; The Supreme Court just gave him the green light to continue his $400M White House ballroom renovations, for now. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay, freezing a lower court ruling that would have brought the project to a halt this morning. Trump has focused so much on his pet projects that the White House has now dubbed him the “Builder-in-Chief.” However, his...

August 16, 2026; 9am: ICE plans to spend up to $20 million dollars to purchase thousands of gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals. Civil rights advocates quickly sounded the alarm over the plan, saying ICE officers already face scrutiny over their use of excessive force with little oversight or accountability. But supporters of the g...

August 16, 2026, 8 AM; New polling from Emerson shows that the race for the U.S. Senate is a near dead heat between Democratic candidate James Talarico and Republican candidate Ken Paxton. In the governor’s race, Republican incumbent Greg Abbott leads State Representative Gina Hinojosa by just four points -- only one point outside the poll’s 3-point margin of error. Hinojosa joins The Weekend to d...

 August 16 2026; 7am: The Democratic National Committee finalized sweeping changes to their primary calendar on Saturday, making South Carolina the kickoff state in the sprint to Super Tuesday. The party’s membership ratified the decision during their summer meeting in Austin, Texas, moving more racially diverse states to the front of the line. With that 2028 business settled, the focus returns to...

August 15 2026; 9am: The Democratic Party is expected to give final approval to its presidential primary calendar, with South Carolina scheduled to be the first on January 22nd. This meeting comes amid growing Democratic optimism about the midterms and surging turnout in recent primary elections. However, the party is also facing internal turmoil over questions about leadership and fundraising. DN...