House Republicans left town for the Memorial Day recess feeling more optimistic about their chances in the midterm elections, putting a spring in their step as they head toward the heat of the campaign season. Recent polling and election forecasts have cast doubt on the idea that a “blue wave” is building that will sweep Democrats into office this November. One recent survey by Reuters found voters preferring a generic Republican candidate to a generic…

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House Majority Whip Steve ScaliseStephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseThe Hill’s Coronavirus Report: New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter says countries around world are deciding not to trust US; All eyes on New York as city begins phased reopening Bottom line Clyburn: Cowed GOP ascribes ‘mystical powers’ to Trump MORE (R-La.) is working to help his colleagues in the House, Reps. Marsha BlackburnMarsha BlackburnGOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police GOP senators dodge on treatment of White…

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE will travel to Tampa, Fla., next week to hold a rally ahead of November’s midterm elections, his campaign announced Monday. The president will hold a rally the night of July 31 at the state fairgrounds. He is expected to…

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Journalists and civil liberties advocates are cautioning against the derailing of the debate over CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel’s history of overseeing torture and her fitness to lead the agency, after ProPublica retracted portions of its reporting on her role in the Bush-era program. According to critics, the real scandal continues to be Haspel’s participation in torture and the subsequent cover-up—not the news outlet’s error. In February 2017, ProPublica reported on Haspel’s career at the…

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Coinciding with the launch of a new Poor People’s Campaign that plans to bring mass action and a radical anti-poverty agenda to over 40 states in the coming weeks, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined Rev. William Barber at Duke University Thursday night to discuss the deep inequality and working class pain “that doesn’t make CNN” and how to confront these crises on the way to building a truly moral economic system. “Every progressive policy today…

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The release of a list of more than four dozen topics that Special Counsel Robert Mueller may question President Donald Trump about was the result of a testy meeting between the special counsel and the president’s lawyers, where Mueller reportedly floated the possibility of issuing a subpoena to Trump. According to the Washington Post and four sources with knowledge of the discussion, Mueller brought up the option of a subpoena on March 5, after John…

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Farmers, environmental advocates, and community leaders came together in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday to launch a national campaign to outlaw factory farming, in conjunction with a new report that outlines the long list of negative consequences tied to housing hundreds or thousands of animals in crowded spaces. “This is a model that doesn’t work for the way we produce our food. It doesn’t work for the environment. It doesn’t work for public health. It…

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Accusing Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram of “intentionally” violating Europe’s strict new privacy rules that officially went into effect on Friday, Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed four lawsuits against the tech companies arguing they are still “coercing users into sharing personal data” despite rolling out new policies ostensibly aimed at complying with the new regulations. Titled the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the new rules require companies to explicitly and clearly request…

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Some have filed suit to stop it while others have argued there’s nothing to worry about, but whether you like it or not at 2:18 PM EDT your phone buzzed an irritating sound and vibrated as you received an unsolicited text message from none other than President Donald Trump himself. Minutes later, at 2:20 PM EDT, for those listening or tunied in, the radio and television versions of the same alert system will be launched.…

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Audio taken during a Democratic National Committee (DNC) Rules Committee conference call reveals the immediate reaction to the news Wednesday of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement. In the audio clip shared on Twitter by Politico reporter David Siders, Democrats on the call express disappointment that Kennedy, a moderate conservative justice known for often being a swing vote, would be retiring. After one participant reads the news aloud, cries of “oh,” and “oh my god” can…

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