Where It All Starts

Automated License Plate Readers have been sweeping the country, with cameras popping up outside of stores and alongside roads in communities big and small. The largest manufacturer of those cameras is Flock, with around 100,000 readers in use across the country. According to Flock, the cameras are a boon to law enforcement. But as they become more prevalent , people are protesting their use – even...

In a livestream Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson laid out some ideas for what he thinks would make Americans’ lives better – a vision, you could call it. And while he didn’t say that he’s going to run for President in 2028, a lot of people think he should – including some of Trump’s most prominent former allies. So we asked The Bulwark’s Will Sommer: What’s really behind Tucker Carlson’s long rant?...

It was a big night for Michigan Democrats, as progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed beat US Representative Haley Stevens in the race for a seat in the Senate this fall. But what did we actually learn from El-Sayed’s victory? Was this a win for progressives? A shot at the establishment? Is he too liberal to win in November? And what does this say about the midterms? Everyone has an opinion… but not...

Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is facing serious allegations of spousal and child abuse from his former wife, Emily Moreno. Miller has denied all of the allegations, and as of our recording on Tuesday, he’s shown no indications that he wants to resign from office – even as several Senate Republicans have said he should quit . But Miller is not the only House Republican under the microscope for ba...

You’ve probably heard a lot about the Democratic Socialists and progressives running for office nationwide – and maybe even more about how establishment Democrats are terrified of them . A lot of that concern is because they think they’ll lose to their Republican counterparts. But many Republican candidates running for statewide office this term are in a league of their own… and not in a good way...

Georgia has become one of the most closely watched states in America, but its story didn't begin with the last election. Jen, Mitch, and Errin explore the history, communities, and political forces that transformed Georgia into the center of the national conversation. Through interviews with civic leaders, elected officials, and everyday Georgians, they examine how the state's civil rights legacy,...

About a month ago, the Antwerp World Diamond Center, which deals with a large percentage of the world’s diamonds, made Donald Trump a very special gift purportedly for America’s 250th birthday . Then, just last week, the Trump Administration coincidentally exempted natural diamonds from its new sweeping global tariffs. Not a great look. It’s no secret that the Trump Administration is steeped in de...

There are just 96 days until the November midterms — and while the battle between Democrats and Republicans is taking up a lot of headlines, many Democrats are also facing serious challenges from within their own party. Take Massachusetts's Eighth District, which includes parts of the city of Boston. Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch has represented the state in Congress since 2001 – and for...

We don’t often talk about what the most moral path forward for the Senate, or Congress, or hell, politics in general might be — but it would probably look more like doing something about ensuring everyday Americans can afford groceries and less like going to war with Iran. Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock gives this a lot of thought in his new book, “The Crooked Places Made Straight: Ref...

Today marked the start of two days of services for the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, with President Donald Trump joining foreign leaders at Washington National Cathedral for the funeral. Graham was arguably one of the biggest supporters of the Iran war. But now, he's gone – and the war he helped start is becoming increasingly unpopular. The Economist reported earlier this month that...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is trying to get a bunch done ahead of the Senate’s long summer break , from sanctions legislation on Russia to funding the government . But none of that seems to matter to President Trump. He’s focused on the SAVE America Act – a sweeping piece of federal legislation that would dramatically change how Americans vote (and most likely, who gets to vote in the first...

Andrew and Tristan Tate are facing extradition to the United Kingdom after their arrest in Miami last weekend. The brothers are facing 59 counts between them in the UK , including rape, sex trafficking, and more. And now, President Trump’s inner circle — including the White House — is backing away from the Tates. For more, we spoke to Madeline Peltz. She’s an independent journalist covering the ri...

By now, you've probably heard more than you ever wanted about c yclospora , a parasite that spreads via infected water and food and causes explosive diarrhea. This has been a very bad year for cyclosporiasis. According to the New York Times, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention typically report an average of 2,800 cases of the illness in the U.S. every year. But this year, the CDC report...

Last week, President Trump dramatically reduced the size of two national monuments that aren't only beloved by everyday Utahns but contain priceless archeological treasures. But Utah is fighting back – against Trump, and against the Republican legislators letting private industries and a Shark Tank host run roughshod over what most people in the state actually want. To learn more, we spoke to Caro...

Lindsey Graham died a little over a week ago – and last Tuesday, his younger sister, Darline Graham, was sworn in to fill his seat. Given that she has absolutely no experience in politics, pretty much everyone thought that Darline Graham was just going to be filling in her late brother's seat until his term ended. But on Friday, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he wants her to run to be...

Over the weekend, the Pentagon announced that three US service members were killed as fighting intensified between the US and Iran. That brings the current death toll for US military personnel engaged in the war to 17. And with news from the New York Times that the Pentagon has been hesitant to share more information about further casualties. It's clear that the Iran war is far from ending, and ma...

President Donald Trump is obsessed with the past. Last night, Trump gave a primetime address about his favorite subject: the 2020 election, which he did not win. But as we have just celebrated America’s 250th birthday, many of us are thinking a lot about the past – and what our history has to do with the future of our country. Heather Cox Richardson is a history professor at Boston College and the...

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche went under the microscope this week as he took questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of his confirmation proceedings. A major line item for senators? The concern that Blanche — who once was President Donald Trump’s personal criminal attorney — might still be operating as Trump’s personal attorney in spirit. Blanche is in a tough spot, because hi...

It’s been less than a week since Graham Platner officially withdrew from the Maine Senate race after a serious allegation of sexual assault. Maine Democrats are planning a nominating convention two days before the deadline to select another candidate – and at least seven Democrats have already thrown their hats into the ring . But Maine voters who believed in Platner are left without the fresh, in...

Last week, ICE agents killed a Mexican man in Houston, Texas, who was driving to work and was not the target of an ICE operation – despite what the Department of Homeland Security said initially. And yesterday, ICE agents in Maine killed a Colombian man who was legally permitted to work in the United States. He was also not the target of an operation. This marks two deaths at the hands of ICE offi...

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham passed away suddenly on Saturday evening at the age of 71. A preliminary report said he died of an aortic dissection, caused by heart disease. Today, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced Graham’s temporary replacement – his younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone. And she has big shoes to fill. Graham was a political lifer. Before winning...

A lot of Democratic voters want fighters in the battle against President Donald Trump and the Trumpified Republican Party, and it’s pretty obvious why. Even when Democrats control Congress and the White House, it feels like they focus more on making common cause with Republicans than on getting anything done. Brian Tyler Cohen is a progressive YouTuber who thinks that if and when Democrats win bac...

Since 84-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell was hospitalized on June 14th after being found unconscious at his home, not one person — not even President Donald Trump — seems to know what is going on. McConnell is one of the most powerful Republican figures in political history. But over the last few years, he’s had a number of health issues, including freezing episodes during press conferences. And...

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner burst into the national spotlight last year with a campaign centering around his supposed working class bonafides and promises to fight the establishment. He easily won his primary despite multiple scandals, ranging from problematic Reddit posts to “unsettling” behavior from past partners. Then, on Monday, Politico published the most serious allegat...

NATO’s most important global summit has begun in Turkiye. It’s an event where the world’s leaders meet, mingle, and above all, try to keep President Donald Trump from doing something inconceivably stupid… like threatening to pull troops from Europe if the US does not gain control of Greenland. But NATO has even bigger problems: Russia’s war in Ukraine and the threat Russia poses to the entire coal...