Steve Benen

With remarks on Charlie Kirk’s death, Trump flunks yet another leadership test

After Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut off funding for mRNA vaccine research, lawmakers advanced a spending plan that would work around him.

A week after the Trump administration killed suspected drug dealers in international waters, Democrats have some pointed questions. GOP senators do not.

Conservative critics of renewable energy keep claiming that solar and wind are useless at night and during calm skies. That’s not even close to being true.

When should the public expect the job numbers to improve? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to answer. It didn’t go well.

If the GOP leader genuinely can’t understand why local Democratic officials would resist the deployment of armed federal troops, I think I can help.

Trump can say he is delivering on the economy, or he can say he’ll eventually deliver, but when he pushes both lines simultaneously, there’s a problem.

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

Donald Trump urged reporters to start digging into officials’ mortgage records. Two weeks later, he probably wishes he hadn’t offered that advice.

As MSNBC’s Ali Velshi summarized, “Turns out firing the ref doesn’t change the score.”

In light of the details and context, it’s tough to see the Navy’s decision to help the Texas Republican as anything but overtly political.

Trump, AI and the mysterious case of the open White House window

After the White House targeted the university’s finances, Harvard’s lawyers took the matter to court. So far, the school is winning.

The Homeland Security secretary claimed CBS News “tried to cover up” some of her Kilmar Abrego Garcia allegations. That’s not what happened.

There is no precedent for nine former CDC chiefs linking arms and alerting the public to a public health menace like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Social Security Administration’s chief data officer exposed alleged DOGE wrongdoing. He was forced out soon after, adding to an unsettling pattern.

If the White House could simply get permission from congressional Republicans for Trump’s trade tariffs, why doesn’t it simply follow the law?

By any fair measure, the last year has been challenging for the Iowa Republican. Now, she's calling it quits.

There is no modern precedent for an American president effectively wielding security details as a political tool — until now.

As one former public health official summarized, “The weakening of the CDC leaves us less safe and more vulnerable as a country.”