iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 23/09/2026

Dear Mike Rogers, you’re also a failed candidate who lost in Michigan. It’s “interesting” that you’ve been brought in, too.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 18/08/2026

On the one hand, Trump believes voting by mail is inherently corrupt and a national scourge that must be crushed. On the other hand, Trump keeps voting by mail. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 07/08/2026

All told, the U.S. economy has added 542,000 jobs over Trump’s 19-month second term. Over the previous 19 months, the economy added over 2.7 million jobs. To date, the White House hasn’t even tried to explain why the job market worsened after Trump took office. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 07/08/2026

Trump said this week that Americans have “the greatest economy maybe in the history of the world.” The new job numbers show just how bonkers his happy-talk is. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 01/08/2026

Some might see this and assume it’s fake, but Trump actually published it. The White House perpetrated a fraud on the public, and after the DOJ was forced to abandon a baseless prosecution, Trump doubled down on the self-satisfying fiction he prefers to reality and threw Pirro under the bus.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 31/07/2026

What an interesting choice of phrases. The U.S. economy certainly *was* the “envy of the world,” though it’s not anymore. The Economist ran this cover in October 2024 — a month before Trump won a second term, as Biden's presidency neared its end.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 10/07/2026

To the relief of Democrats in Maine (and elsewhere), Platner formally exited this afternoon, instead of waiting until Monday.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 09/07/2026

Platner's out. "We believe that for the movement to continue, it can't be me. And for that reason, we are suspending campaign operations."

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 29/06/2026

Critics of the Slaughter decision: The court just increased presidential power in ways unseen in generations, overturning a century of precedent. Trump: The court just increased presidential power! In ways unseen in generations! Overturning a century of precedent!

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 18/05/2026

Trump, two weeks ago: “I have some of the best poll numbers I've ever had.” Reality, today:

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 11/05/2026

Schumer's new "Dear Colleague" letter makes repeated use of a notable phrase: "Ballroom Republicans."

Americans do not need a ballroom. They need relief. They want their Congress and their President to address the growing cost crisis bearing down on families across the country. Everywhere you look, Americans are paying more to make ends meet – more for gasoline, more for health care, more for electricity and more for housing – because Republicans keep putting Trump’s priorities ahead of working people. That is what today’s Republicans have become: Ballroom Republicans — asking working families to pay the price while Donald Trump pockets the perks.

Let me make one thing very clear: Senate Democrats will not let them jam through this bill without making them answer for their endless cost hikes, health care cuts, and every dollar diverted from American families to Trump’s priorities. Democrats will fight the Republicans’ reconciliation bill with every tool we have. We will bring Byrd Rule challenges. We will offer floor amendments. And we will force vote after vote to make the choice unmistakable: will Republicans vote to help American families — to lower costs, to restore savage health care cuts, to roll back cost-spiking tariffs — or will they vote to fund Trump’s gaudy ballroom?

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 07/05/2026

I get the sense that Republicans find this terribly inconvenient, but Jeffries borrowed the “maximum warfare” phrase from a Trump White House official. It appeared in an August 2025 NYT article (tinyurl.com/mrx24tdm) about Trump’s gerrymandering crusade.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 01/05/2026

Watching Republicans like Steve Scalise rewrite recent history on gas prices is exasperating. Watching Republicans like Tim Scott rewrite the present is worse. I mean, really, who looks at this and decides to tell a national audience, “Gas prices continue to come down”? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 12/04/2026

Imagine having access to a time machine and being able to send a message to Pennsylvania Dems circa 2022.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 07/04/2026

As it turns out, it's not just House Dems: Leading Senate Democrats also issued a joint statement responding to Trump's stated plans to destroy "a whole civilization" tonight:

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in Iran:

“We speak today with one voice and one purpose: to condemn President Trump's threat to extinguish an entire civilization.

“This is not strength. Intentionally destroying the power, water, or basic infrastructure upon which tens of millions of civilians depend to punish the very civilians who suffer at the hands of the Iranian regime would constitute a war crime, a betrayal of the values this nation was founded on, and a moral failure. It’s unconscionable to threaten the lives of so many people – grandparents, children, families – simply because they were born in Iran. President Trump’s reckless threat makes Americans less safe, further destabilizes our nation and economy, and puts at greater risk U.S. service members. It only serves to push us further away from the only viable solution to this war: a diplomatic one. The president must not follow through on this threat.”

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 07/04/2026

After Trump wrote, in reference to Iran, “A whole civilization will die tonight,” the entirety of the House Democratic leadership issued this joint statement:

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 05/04/2026

I saw this circulating and assumed (hoped?) that it was fake. Alas, it’s real. Not only does it reflect a rapidly unraveling president, it comes just days after he expressed indifference to the Strait of Hormuz during his WH address. (“We don’t need it. We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it”)

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 03/04/2026

The new job numbers look good, but I’m mindful of the larger context: Job growth during the first 15 months of Trump’s second term: 321,000 jobs Job growth during the last 15 months of Biden’s term: 1.9 million jobs The Trump White House has no explanation for this. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 02/04/2026

You know, Tom Cotton probably should’ve watched what happened next in “The Dark Knight” before tweeting this.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 09/03/2026

As oil prices soar, remember: It was four days ago when Trump said he helped “stabilize” gas prices, touting the “decisive action” his administration took “to help keep down the oil prices.” Yeah, about that... www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 06/03/2026

Trump vowed to turn the economy around, and in a way, he kept his promise. Unfortunately, as the woeful job numbers prove, that meant turning around a healthy economy and delivering an unhealthy one. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 06/03/2026

Job growth over 14 months of Trump’s second term: 150,000 jobs The previous 14 months: 1.74 million jobs Under Biden: 0 months of job losses Trump’s second term: losses in two of the last three months, three of the last five months, and five of the last nine months. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 28/02/2026

Sometimes, the "there's always a tweet" meme lands a little differently.

In September 2013, amid concerns about a possible U.S. confrontation with Iran, Donald Trump published a tweet that read, “Remember what I previously said — Obama will someday attack Iran in order to show how tough he is.” The Republican added, two months later, “Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly — not skilled!”

A year earlier, the then-television personality wrote, “Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin — watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.”

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 05/02/2026

Schumer and Jeffries present their list to Republican leaders, "laying out clear legislative actions to rein in ICE and stop the violence." They also called for "fully ramping down the surge in Minnesota and removing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from her position."

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 27/01/2026

Interesting statement from the House Democratic leadership on Kristi Noem and impeachment

Taxpayer dollars are being weaponized by the Trump administration to kill American citizens, brutalize communities and violently target law-abiding immigrant families. The country is disgusted by what the Department of Homeland Security has done.

Republicans are planning to shut large parts of the government down on Friday so that the DHS killing spree unleashed in Minnesota can continue throughout America. That is immoral.

Dramatic changes at the Department of Homeland Security are needed. Federal agents who have broken the law must be criminally prosecuted. The paramilitary tactics must cease and desist. Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not kill them in cold blood.

The violence unleashed on the American people by the Department of Homeland Security must end forthwith. Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.

We can do this the easy way or the hard way.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 25/01/2026

Schumer and Senate Dems sound pretty serious about rejecting the existing DHS funding bill. The latest from his office:

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement calling on Senate Republicans to work with Senate Democrats to pass funding for five appropriations bills and work to overhaul the Department of Homeland Security funding legislation:

“Senate Democrats will not allow the current DHS funding bill to move forward.

“Senate Republicans have seen the same horrific footage that all Americans have watched of the blatant abuses of Americans by ICE in Minnesota.

“The appalling murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must lead Republicans to join Democrats in overhauling ICE and CBP to protect the public. People should be safe from abuse by their own government.

“Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill. This is best course of action, and the American people are on our side.”

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 24/01/2026

Just released by Schumer's office.

“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling —and unacceptable in any American city. Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no.

“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 15/01/2026

Dear White House press secretary, Donald Trump referred to the FBI as the “Gestapo” repeatedly a few years ago. Did his rhetoric also lead to violence? Follow-up question: If Trump compared federal agents to the “Gestapo,” why is it beyond the pale for others to do the same thing now?

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 12/01/2026

After failing spectacularly to deliver on his promises about job creation, Trump tried to rebrand failure as “amazing.” That’s demonstrably ridiculous. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 11/01/2026

Putting aside Lindsey Graham’s eagerness to undermine his own institution, after Nixon vetoed the War Powers Act in 1973, Congress overrode him. House vote: 284-135 Senate vote: 75-18 In both instances, the majorities were bipartisan. (Many liberal Dems balked and said it didn’t go far enough.)

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 03/01/2026

Someday, this guy is going to hear about Trump’s pardon for former Honduras' Juan Orlando Hernández — a convicted drug trafficker who boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses” and accepted a $1 million bribe to allow cocaine shipments to pass through his country — and be amazed.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 19/12/2025

If White House officials want a public discussion about private-sector job growth, that’s fine, but they may not like where the conversation ends up. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 17/12/2025

If Trump’s team looked at the latest jobs data and saw a “strong” report, that might help explain why he’s failing so spectacularly: The White House doesn’t even know what economic success looks like. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 07/12/2025

There are a variety of ways to describe the healthy economy Trump inherited from Biden. For those who care about reality, “trainwreck” isn’t one of them: tinyurl.com/2dau4rpu

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 12/10/2025

A few days ago, I wrote up a piece on Republicans routinely forgetting when Biden took office and how the problem seems to be getting worse: tinyurl.com/3bdxp3te I suddenly wish I’d held off a few more days. (The “Biden FBI” didn’t exist on Jan. 6. Trump was president at the time.)

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 18/09/2025

New statement from the House Dem leadership on Kimmel: “Brendan Carr, the so-called Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has engaged in the corrupt abuse of power. ... This will not be forgotten.”

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 13/09/2025

I guess Lutnick doesn't remember that he said the exact opposite just six weeks ago?

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 08/09/2025

The White House’s new line is that Trump’s economic agenda will *eventually* work, but: - this contradicts the WH’s other talking points - this contradicts Trump’s 2024 campaign promises - there’s no reason to assume sticking with failures will produce different results www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 05/09/2025

Job growth over the first eight months of the year: 2015: 1.76 million 2016: 1.58 million 2017: 1.51 million 2018: 1.75 million 2019: 1.36 million 2020: [pandemic] 2021: 4.69 million 2022: 3.5 million 2023: 1.84 million 2024: 1.14 million 2025: 598,000 #trumpeffect www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 05/09/2025

The question for the White House is simple: “If Trump has created a ‘hot’ economy, why has American job growth slowed to a 16-year low?” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 22/08/2025

Obviously, attire is vastly less important than presidential actions, threats, and declarations. But the fact that Trump did this Oval Office event while wearing a hat that said, “Trump Was Right About Everything” — in a big, all-caps font — added a Mad King vibe to already bonkers circumstances.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 15/08/2025

Trump seems confused about why the Alaska summit is itself a win for Putin, no matter the outcome of the talks, but it’s really not that complicated. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 05/08/2025

If the White House wants to talk about whether the latest economic data is “phenomenal” or not, I’m ready for that conversation. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 12/07/2025

Moore allegedly destroyed vaccines, distributed fraudulent vaccination cards, and administered saline shots to kids. Before jurors could consider evidence, the attorney general is dismissing the charges — because she wants to improve her standing on the far-right. Unbecoming of a serious country.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 22/06/2025

So much for that “two-week” window. Note the “now is the time for peace” phrasing as he pursues an avoidable course of military strikes.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 17/06/2025

As it turns out, there are always *three* tweets.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 26/05/2025

This paragraph was published in a @washingtonpost.com ‬article two weeks ago. The White House’s erraticism on tariffs has only gotten worse since.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 25/05/2025

My wife’s name isn’t Lisa; she isn’t a lawyer; and we didn’t get married in 2006. An occasional reminder: If you think you can count on AI for accurate information, think again.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 25/02/2025

I took a moment to count up the errors of fact and judgment in this one sentence from the Trump-appointed top prosecutor in DC. I settled on six mistakes, but I can't help but wonder if I missed one or two. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

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