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MaddowBlog

@maddowblog.bsky.social
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MaddowBlog.com Rachel: bsky.app/profile/maddow.bsky.social Steve: bsky.app/profile/stevebenen.com

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 10h
Sept 29, 2015: Then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz hatches a “gotcha” plot against then-Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, humiliates himself, quickly moves on Sept 29, 2026: Eric Schmitt hatches a “gotcha” plot against Jack Smith, humiliates himself, and doubles down www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
GOP’s Eric Schmitt keeps digging after falling into a ditch of his own making
There was a time when a senator in this situation would simply fess up and express some regret. The Missouri Republican chose a different path.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 29/09/2026
The last 2 weeks at FBI HQ: - deputy director resigns in frustration - veteran FBI counterterrorism supervisors demoted - massive data hack - Patel snubs FBI’s Canadian counterpart - Patel struggles to explain lower professional standards - Trump attacks FBI’s Butler probe www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
As another deputy director resigns, Kash Patel’s FBI confronts even more chaos
The FBI will hopefully someday become a normal law enforcement institution again. That day, however, is not close.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 7h
Was it funny to see the new White House AI chatbot, on its first day of operations, presenting the public with facts that completely contradicted Trump’s alternate reality and brazen lies? Actually, yes, it was. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
On its first day, the White House’s new AI chatbot causes embarrassing troubles for Trump
America.gov, which the president described as “damn good,” presented the public with facts that were wholly at odds with Trump’s alternate reality.
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Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Ever since we’ve posted the secondary coverage as well as the editorial, there’s been an absolute outpour of similar stories hitting my inbox and the sexual-misconduct tip line.”
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A free press is an important tool against a government entity trying to consolidate power. And it's a tool that scales, from local sheriffs to presidents.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 29/09/2026
Republican election deniers had such high hopes for the Justice Department’s “grand conspiracy” investigation. But as its top prosecutors resign, the absurd crusade appears to be falling apart. It won’t be missed. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Justice Department’s ‘grand conspiracy’ investigation loses another key prosecutor
The administration’s sprawling inquiry into Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories appears to be falling apart quickly.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"The actions are the latest examples of experienced counterterrorism agents being sidelined or pushed out of the bureau entirely, leading FBI veterans to question whether the bureau’s capabilities to prevent terrorism have been significantly weakened." www.ms.now/news/fbi-ste...
ms.now
FBI agents probing threats against Stephen Miller’s wife demoted
“Director Patel did not order this decision,” Darren Cox, the assistant director of the FBI’s Washington field office, said in a statement.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 28/09/2026
The mysterious art collective responsible for more than a dozen installations mocking President Trump and his administration over the past two years struck again on the National Mall in D.C., this time with an international twist.
washingtonpost.com
Secretive group’s latest anti-Trump artwork placed in D.C. — and Greenland
The playable video game consoles mock the administration’s approach to the autonomous territory.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russell Brand, who's awaiting trial in London next month on rape and sexual assault charges, will moderate a panel at DC's MAHA summit tomorrow on reforming a U.S. health agency
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 28/09/2026
George W. Bush’s former ethics lawyer said the Trump White House’s taxpayer-financed election propaganda ads could “an impeachable offense.” Given the circumstances, that’s hardly unreasonable. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump’s new taxpayer-funded propaganda recycles 2024 campaign ad, despite legal limits
A former White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush said the use of public money for the campaign ads could “an impeachable offense.”
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 28/09/2026
What does JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force have in common with Musk’s DOGE gambit? Both created online resources, ostensibly to show their purported successes, only to see their claims unravel under scrutiny. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
The embarrassing thing Vance’s fraud task force has in common with Musk’s DOGE gambit
Both initiatives created online resources that invited scrutiny. Both were unprepared for what happened next.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 25/09/2026
As the White House tries to play people for fools, claiming Trump’s new taxpayer-financed propaganda ad is a “public service announcement,” Dems are taking a hard line: “This is the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea,” they said, calling the ad “utterly illegal.”
ms.now
White House pretends its taxpayer-financed propaganda is a ‘public service announcement’
Key congressional Democrats called the pro-Trump ad “an egregious and utterly illegal misuse of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars.”
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 25/09/2026
It’s fundamentally unhealthy for an authoritarian president to falsely, casually, and frequently accuse assorted political foes of “treason” — a word Trump apparently defines in a deeply twisted way. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump is the president who cried ‘treason‘
You’ve heard of the boy who cried “wolf”? I’d like to introduce you to the president who cried “treason.”
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
lol holy shit I wouldn't talk about literally anything else if I was the guy running against him. —"What do you think about trans kids in sp-" —"Did you hear my opponent had his patient, who was 8 months pregnant, arrested in front of her son because she didn't pay a $50 medical bill?"
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Tour dates announced! Coming this November with the publication of her new book, Department of Fate, Rachel will be all over the place on tour. Many of the dates include special guests like Nov. 8 w/Chris Hayes Nov. 15 w/Kara Swisher More to be announced! Tickets are on sale now. MaddowBlog.com
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 24/09/2026
Trump’s decision to host a G20 summit at a business he personally owns is a real problem. Rewarding Putin with an invitation to the summit makes the problem so much worse. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump keeps finding new ways to give Putin unearned rewards, inviting backlash
The president’s decision to host a G20 summit a Trump-owned business is a problem. Inviting the Russian leader makes the problem worse.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore White House access for now to journalists working for three national news organizations in a victory for the news media that the president has increasingly targeted during his second administration." www.ms.now/news/judge-o...
ms.now
Judge orders White House to restore press access to MS NOW, CNN and Politico
The ruling is a victory for news organizations fighting to cover a president who has repeatedly lashed out at the media.
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Status @status.news · 23/09/2026
The anonymous source behind one of the stories the White House cited to justify banning POLITICO was none other than Vice President JD Vance, we have learned. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/white-hous...
status.news
The Source Behind The Ban
The anonymous source behind one of the stories the White House cited to justify banning POLITICO was none other than Vice President JD Vance, Status has learned.
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Ivan Ehlers @ivan-ehlers.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor... Piece I wrote in today’s Los Angeles Times
latimes.com
Contributor: The 'super' El Niño is here. Trump chose to be unprepared
The federal government should be doing a lot more to prepare for what’s coming.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 22/09/2026
Whether this was intentional or not, Trump sketched out a position on Venezuelan oil today that made the United States sound less like a global superpower and more like pirates. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
‘To the victor belong the spoils’: In U.N. address, Trump brags about seizing Venezuelan oil
The president sketched out a position that made the U.S. sound less like a global superpower and more like pirates.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 23/09/2026
When making a list of Trump’s dumbest foreign policy fiascoes, keep his Greenland “deal” in mind. He - made guarantees that he failed to deliver - did dramatic harm to US relations with long-standing treaty allies - & secured an agreement that delivered what he already had www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump got a Greenland deal, but it’s not the one he set out to get
When making a list of the incumbent president’s biggest foreign policy fiascoes, this one will rank near the top.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 22/09/2026
Trump’s press ban? “National security.” His arch? “National security.” Why gut wind energy? “National security.” Justify tariffs? “National security.” Wants Greenland? “National security.” Ignore Endangered Species Act? “National security.” The pattern is not subtle. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
For Trump, ‘national security’ remains the answer to every question
“When you look under the hood, they’re fake national security emergencies,” one scholar explained. “This is a power grab.”
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The book tour Rachel announced tonight includes some familiar stops, but also has dates in Boise and Salt Lake City. Find the full list with links at MS.NOW/DepartmentOfFate
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Congressman Greg Casar @repcasar.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thanks to the community speaking up, Wilber has left the detention center to get medical care. This is important news & a positive first step. Now, we have to make sure he fully recovers, is reunited with family, & gets to tell law enforcement the full story of how he was shot in the back by ICE.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 21/09/2026
As of this morning, it’s official: MS NOW, CNN, and Politico are suing Trump and several top administration officials for blocking reporters’ access to the White House. www.ms.now/news/ms-now-...
ms.now
MS NOW, CNN and Politico sue Trump and senior officials over White House press ban
The lawsuit alleges the president violated the First Amendment by blocking reporters’ access to the White House.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 21/09/2026
Trump’s allies have had a few days to come up with compelling defenses for the policy he described as “the ban on the free press.” At least so far, they’ve come up with a handful of talking points, each of which was pitiful in its own pathetic way. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Republicans try (and fail) to defend Trump’s ban on MS NOW, CNN and Politico journalists
This is an important test, not just for the president and the free press, but also for those politically aligned with the White House.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
WaPo statement: @washingtonpost.com
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
NEW: @apnews.com confirms that ICE has begun electronically "disappearing" people in the agency's custody who have final orders of removal. As of last week, anyone jailed by ICE with a final order of removal will NOT appear in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, making them effectively vanish.
apnews.com
AP Exclusive: ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal orders
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding most detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, in a move that has made it harder for lawyers an...
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hey, this week's live Q&A with Rachel starts in just a couple of minutes. If you miss it, that's ok too, the video is turned around pretty quick at this same link and she'll do another next week. www.ms.now/community-li...
ms.now
Membership
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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Just joining the Russian economic sphere I guess.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President.” www.cnbc.com/2026/09/21/t...
cnbc.com
White House TV pool won't cover Trump after press ban: CNN
The decision comes as CNN, MS NOW and Politico said they are suing Trump to overturn his new ban of those three media outlets from the White House.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Rachel Maddow will join Peter Alexander in the 6pm hour tonight on MS NOW.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 18/09/2026
It’s easy to grow inured, but in Europe’s biggest war since WWII, Trump boasted about an energy truce that doesn’t exist in reality. Remember when the WH would be under pressure to explain how/why the president managed to get something this important so terribly wrong? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump celebrates an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine that doesn’t appear to exist
Trump boasted about a major breakthrough that did not happen. In the not-too-distant past, this would’ve been a major controversy.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 18/09/2026
The focus on RFK Jr’s latest nonsense — “chemtrails”? seriously? — makes sense, but it’s incomplete. 52 Senate Republicans — including alleged “moderates,” such as Susan Collins — could’ve voted to protect us from this guy & they chose not to. Where’s the accountability? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Following RFK Jr.’s latest bizarre performance, 52 GOP senators have some explaining to do
Have we reached the point at which the nation’s health secretary is taking “chemtrails” nonsense seriously? Actually, yes.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18/09/2026
part of this is obviously national political conditions but don't underrate the extent to which a bunch of these incumbent republicans have never had to run a competitive general election campaign and basically do not know how to do it
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 17/09/2026
Quite a week for Trump and the Kennedy Center: - his loyalists closed the building indefinitely - he twice said he’d refuse to help unless his name is added - said building could be ‘ripped down’ - was seen reviewing a printout about the center being “demolished” www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump says Kennedy Center could be ‘ripped down,’ still wants his name added
The president was also seen through the windows of Air Force One examining a large printout about the Kennedy Center being “demolished.”
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 17/09/2026
JD Vance has a new pitch for the midterm elections: “Give us another chance.” Among the many problems: Even if voters agreed, then what? What would the GOP do in the next two years that it failed to do over the last two? More wars? More tariffs? More corruption? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
JD Vance refines his pitch for the midterm elections: ‘Give us another chance’
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz called it “the most mind-boggling midterm pitch I’ve ever heard in my life.”
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
From executive producer Rachel Maddow, Kill. Bury. Print. is streaming September 27 on Peacock www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLfo...
youtube.com
Kill. Bury. Print. | Official Trailer | Peacock Original
YouTube video by Peacock
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 17/09/2026
House Republican Whip Tom Emmer boasted this week that ground beef prices are now “less than $2 a pound.” Among the questions: - Has Tom Emmer been to a grocery store in recent decades? - Does he expect voters not to believe their own wallets? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
GOP leader claims ground beef prices are ‘less than $2 a pound,’ despite reality
Politicians can get away with all kinds of dishonesty, but asking voters not to believe their own wallets is a losing proposition.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 17/09/2026
As the White House abandons Trump’s unqualified ICE nominee, remember: There are some depths to which even Senate Republicans don’t want to sink. Larger arc: Someone is going to be blamed for the Lance Schroyer fiasco, and it's likely to be Markwayne Mullin. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
White House abandons Trump’s unqualified nominee to lead ICE, despite Mullin ties
It’s a safe bet there will be a lot of questions about who was responsible for this, and most of the blame will likely fall on the DHS chief.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"This will someday be featured in a textbook on the golden Trump era of blatant corruption and foreign influence in the United States of America in the 2020s." youtu.be/SuoCvics57k?...
youtu.be
Maddow reacts to report of Russian oligarch paying for Trump Jr.'s lavish wedding weekend
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just checked the price of a pound of ground beef in St. Cloud, MN (Emmer's district) -- $5.29/lb at ALDI, $7.23/lb at Walmart. Not sure where "less than $2/lb" is happening there?
https://info.aldi.us/stores/l/mn/waite-park/256-2nd-street-south/l517https://www.walmart.com/search?q=ground+beef&facet=fulfillment_method%3APickup
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 16/09/2026
You might’ve seen the headlines about the latest CBO report that said the war in Iran has cost $38 billion. But remember: That figure is a minimum that doesn’t include all kinds of things. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Why the new price tag for the war with Iran only tells part of an awful story
The bad news is the conflict’s $38 billion cost. The worse news is that this figure is a minimum that doesn’t include all kinds of things.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 16/09/2026
When Mike Johnson made the case yesterday that Republicans inherited “a country on the brink of ruin” early last year, he wasn’t just lying. The Speaker was also offering a reminder about how desperate the GOP is to rewrite recent history ahead of the midterms. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Republicans’ midterm strategy hinges on rewriting the recent past
The more the GOP tries to overwhelm voters’ memories, the more we’re reminded just how spectacularly the party has failed over the last two years.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 15/09/2026
Quite a recent pattern: - GOP candidate in Fla. marched alongside neo-Nazis - Husted fires aide over Nazi photo - Collins fires aide over swastika images - State Dept hires speechwriter whom DeSantis fired over video with Nazi imagery - Trump rewards Paul Ingrassia, who said he has a “Nazi streak”
ms.now
Republican state legislative candidate marched alongside neo-Nazis, adding to pattern
As a rule, state House candidates’ backgrounds tend not to generate national headlines, but once in a while, there are important exceptions.
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 14/09/2026
Trump’s plan for AI safeguards has finally come into focus: Do nothing and hope for the best. He also keeps saying, “Whoever wins AI wins,” without finishing the sentence. What, specifically, does he think the victor of the AI arms race will win? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
ms.now
Trump’s plan for AI safeguards comes into focus: Do nothing and hope for the best
Barack Obama warned that AI technology could be “dangerous” without proper restrictions. His Republican successor apparently disagrees.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Rachel's weekly live Q&A is happening at noon today if you want to bring your sandwich and come hang out with us: www.ms.now/community-li...
ms.now
Membership
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"The corrupt machinations of the Missouri case reveal that MAGA’s perfidy is limited only by its creativity." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Fix Was Almost In (Gift Article)
The midterms dodge their first MAGA bullet. It won’t be the last.
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MaddowBlog @maddowblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"Convicted sex offender offered opening prayer at rally for GOP Senate nominee in North Carolina" "Pastor Daimon L. King is a registered sex offender, twice sentenced to prison for convictions involving children, according to state and court records." apnews.com/article/what...
apnews.com
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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 10/09/2026
Putting aside Jeffress’ garbage rhetoric, the fact that he’s on the stage at all is indefensible: Mitt Romney accurately labeled this guy “a religious bigot,” and Chris Christie said to associate with Jeffress was “beneath the office of president of the United States.” tinyurl.com/yu82cnbu
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