74 stories credited to Alternet.org
1 story on alternet.org credited to other publishers
Latest story Sep 23, 2026 · on ChamberLight since Apr 2026
A story can appear as several articles (copies of the same piece), so counts of stories and of articles differ.
Scores for Alternet.org
Originality
24 of those 74 carry an unconfirmed copying flag, which is not evidence either way.
75 stories · updated Sep 25, 2026
Writing quality 58 of 100: the average rating of 47 stories, each rated on its own (separate from credibility). How it is measured
Scores last checked Sep 25, 2026.
Articles this site reproduces
How provenance is decidedOriginal publishers of articles on alternet.org
Counted from articles on alternet.org whose original publisher is verified from the page itself or confirmed by an independent signal.
Stories ChamberLight collected, by month
Stories credited to Alternet.org, by publication date. ChamberLight collects articles that mention the officials it tracks, so this shows its own coverage of this source, not how much the source publishes.
- Stories from Alternet.org
- Shaded: ChamberLight collected no stories, or almost none, from any outlet (a gap in its collection, not in the outlet’s publishing)
Show as a table
| Month | Stories | All outlets |
|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 5 | 42 |
| October 2025 | 3 | 50 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 79 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 27 |
| January 2026 | 1 | 87 |
| February 2026 | 8 | 180 |
| March 2026 | 17 | 1,094 |
| April 2026 | 26 | 4,538 |
| May 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| June 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| July 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 (collection gap) |
| September 2026 | 14 | 1,320 |
Top topics
Share of this source’s stories tagged with each topic. A story can carry several topics, so the shares do not add up to 100%.
- Ethics/Corruption50
68% of 74 stories · 58% across all outlets
- Foreign Policy24
32% of 74 stories · 29% across all outlets
- Economy22
30% of 74 stories · 26% across all outlets
- Voting Rights21
28% of 74 stories · 19% across all outlets
- Budget/Spending20
27% of 74 stories · 31% across all outlets
- Defense/Military18
24% of 74 stories · 25% across all outlets
- Criminal Justice16
22% of 74 stories · 19% across all outlets
- Immigration7
10% of 74 stories · 13% across all outlets
The thin mark on each bar is the topic’s share across all outlets.
Who they cover
Party of the officials these stories are mainly about, across all 81 officials named. A story counts once for each official it is mainly about, so the split is over 140 story–official pairs, from 74 stories.
- Republican76% · 106 pairs
- Democrat14% · 19 pairs
- Party not recorded11% · 15 pairs
Most covered
Stories mainly about each official, and their share of the source’s 74 stories.
- 1Donald TrumpR34 stories · 46%
- 2John ThuneR6 stories · 8%
- 3Tommy TubervilleR4 stories · 5%
- 4Christopher MurphyD3 stories · 4%
- 5Lauren BoebertR3 stories · 4%
- 6Pam BondiR3 stories · 4%
- 7Thomas TillisR3 stories · 4%
- 8Anna Paulina Luna–2 stories · 3%
- 9Brian FitzpatrickR2 stories · 3%
- 10Bryan SteilR2 stories · 3%
+ 71 other officials (78 story–official pairs)
Article tone
ChamberLight’s article analysis assigns each story a tone toward the official it covers. It describes the coverage of that official, not Alternet.org’s stance, and reader votes do not change it. 74 stories.
- Good Look
- 7 (9%)
- Mixed
- 30 (41%)
- Informational
- 3 (4%)
- Bad Look
- 34 (46%)
Related sources
Lean 95% range 16–24 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Similar lean · 1 shared topic
Lean 95% range 16–22 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Similar lean · 2 shared topics
Lean 95% range 14–22 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Similar lean · 2 shared topics
Lean 95% range 16–18 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Similar lean · 3 shared topics
Lean 95% range 17–27 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Similar lean · 2 shared topics
Lean 95% range 15–18 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Similar lean · 2 shared topics
Challenges to these scores
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Articles served from alternet.org
147
Fox News highlights GOP frantically clawing its way to a 'post-Trump' world
On Wednesday, a new Fox News piece revealed that the GOP is beginning to look for its “post-Trump” future as a growing number of Republican candidates keep President Donald Trump at “arm’s length” in the face of his historic unpopularity. Reporting from Minnesota, Fox asserted that the trend of conservative candidates distancing themselves from Trump is indicative of how the party will move forward after he’s gone. “As the once-long shot Minnesota GOP Senate nominee Michele Tafoya has closed in on Democratic opponent Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the issue of President Donald Trump — who is not particularly popular in the Gopher State — has taken a unique turn,” writes Fox. “For Tafoya, as well as gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth and others down ballot for the GOP — not to mention their potential voters — the general attitude toward Trump is that while they support much of what he has done, they also represent what a post-Donald Trump Republican Party could look like.” According to Fox, while some Minnesota conservative voters claim the GOP should be “hardcore Trump,” others, like “a soybean farmer with mixed and nuanced views on Trump,” complain about the damage inflicted by his policies. "The tariffs hurt us,” said the farmer, who explained the only reason he was about to “stay afloat” was due to a $40,000 government subsidy. Fox also spoke with a restaurant manager who said Trump’s immigration crackdown was so “extreme” that while he rarely protests, he “did in this case, getting pepper sprayed for his trouble.” “When you put the above pieces of the Minnesota electoral mosaic together, it becomes clear why it behooves Tafoya and Demuth to keep Trump at arm’s length, without fully breaking with him,” writes Fox. It allows them to embrace Trump policies that are still popular with Republican voters while “questioning less popular measures such as tariffs and the Iran war… Gentle pushback on the POTUS is becoming something of a national trend for GOP Senate candida
Tuberville torn apart for claim Alabama voters can 'deal' with high costs
All a CNN panel could do was laugh at Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) with his latest claim about voters in his state. Speaking to the candidate for Alabama governor on Tuesday, CNN's Manu Raju asked what people in Alabama think about the affordability crisis, specifically the impact of high fuel costs. "Obviously, gas prices are high. They've been high before," said Tuberville. "People deal with that. They know it's going to go up and down. What's — what's affecting us right now in Alabama — this is harvest season for farmers. And diesel is high. But you know, our people in Alabama know that, you know, they voted for President Trump. They know he — they gave him the opportunity to go back and and, uh—" Raju cut him off, asking, "They're willing to pay higher prices, you think?" "Yeah, they're — yeah, sure they are," claimed Tuberville. "David, are they willing to pay higher prices in Alabama?" Raju asked David Chalian. Chalian and others on the panel laughed. "I don't know any — have you ever met anyone who was like, 'Oh, sure! Happy to pay higher prices at the pump!' I've never met that. That doesn't mean that there aren't people who don't agree that Iran shouldn't have a nuclear weapon. There are lots of people who agree with that, but I have not heard anyone say, 'I want to pay more at the gas pump.'" Chalian said that it seemed "a little discordant here." The panel also discussed the disconnect with Trump's political team, who don't appear to see that Republicans are now running away from the president and want nothing to do with him in the election. Trump has claimed he will spend the entire month of October campaigning for Republicans. Even his most solid fans, like Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), recently scrubbed his campaign website of any mention of Trump and his connections to the president. Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) last week released campaign commercial taking Trump to task for going too far with his deportation efforts by removing law-abiding
'Internal fight boiling over' as Oklahoma GOP battles over Senate seat
After President Donald Trump chose former Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) to replace the fired Kristi Noem as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Alan Armstrong to temporarily fill the U.S. Senate seat. But Oklahoma voters will decide who fills the seat for a full term. In the meantime, according to Washington Sun reporter Reese Gorman, an "internal fight" among Oklahoma Republicans is "boiling over" as they "vie to fill the last two months of former Sen. Markwayne Mullin's term." "The dispute is over when Sen. Alan Armstrong's temporary term ends and the next Oklahoma senator — likely Rep. Kevin Hern — would be sworn in," Gorman reports in the Washington Sun. "Hern wants to be sworn into the Senate in November following the election, while Armstrong wants to stay on through January." In the general election, Hern is up against Democratic nominee N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas. Oklahoma law, Gorman notes, states, "The candidate elected to the office at the regularly scheduled election shall be deemed to also have been elected to fill the vacancy and shall be eligible to assume the office upon the official certification of the election by the State Election Board." "According to multiple sources familiar with the matter," Gorman reports, "Hern's team believes the law would allow Hern — if he wins the election — to be sworn into the Senate in November, as Oklahoma must certify the election within seven days of it being completed. However, Armstrong's team believes the law is less clear and that he was appointed to serve out the remainder of now- Secretary of Homeland Security Mullin's term, which ends in early January. Armstrong wants to stay on at least until legislation on permitting reform gets done, sources tell The Washington Sun. There's a chance that happens in the lame-duck session." Gorman adds, "All this has caused a rift between the two members, sources say." Hern, according to Gorman, is being r
'Internal fight boiling over' as Oklahoma GOP battles over Senate seat
After President Donald Trump chose former Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) to replace the fired Kristi Noem as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Alan Armstrong to temporarily fill the U.S. Senate seat. But Oklahoma voters will decide who fills the seat for a full term. In the meantime, according to Washington Sun reporter Reese Gorman, an "internal fight" among Oklahoma Republicans is "boiling over" as they "vie to fill the last two months of former Sen. Markwayne Mullin's term." "The dispute is over when Sen. Alan Armstrong's temporary term ends and the next Oklahoma senator — likely Rep. Kevin Hern — would be sworn in," Gorman reports in the Washington Sun. "Hern wants to be sworn into the Senate in November following the election, while Armstrong wants to stay on through January." In the general election, Hern is up against Democratic nominee N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas. Oklahoma law, Gorman notes, states, "The candidate elected to the office at the regularly scheduled election shall be deemed to also have been elected to fill the vacancy and shall be eligible to assume the office upon the official certification of the election by the State Election Board." "According to multiple sources familiar with the matter," Gorman reports, "Hern's team believes the law would allow Hern — if he wins the election — to be sworn into the Senate in November, as Oklahoma must certify the election within seven days of it being completed. However, Armstrong's team believes the law is less clear and that he was appointed to serve out the remainder of now- Secretary of Homeland Security Mullin's term, which ends in early January. Armstrong wants to stay on at least until legislation on permitting reform gets done, sources tell The Washington Sun. There's a chance that happens in the lame-duck session." Gorman adds, "All this has caused a rift between the two members, sources say." Hern, according to Gorman, is being r
The 'wow' reason a battleground GOP candidate was nearly barred from debate
One of the most surprising trends in the midterm election cycle has been Republican vulnerability in states and districts once considered safely red that have turned into toss-ups due to the unpopularity of President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, a new report revealed that the GOP should be starkly worried about its Senate race in one such state, Kansas, where the Republican senatorial candidate initially failed to meet the criteria for participating in debates for a surprising reason. “Wow,” posted Kansas political strategist Tyson Brody. “The Kansas City Star confirms that less than 25 percent of Roger Marshall’s campaign fundraising comes from Kansas, failing the participation criteria for a Nexstar debate.” This has profound implications for the campaign of Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS), who polls show is slightly trailing his Democratic opponent, pastor Adam Hamilton. The two had previously shared the same stage during what the Star describes as “the boisterous Kansas State Fair forums earlier this month, where Marshall faced down a hostile crowd that at one point cut him off mid-answer with chants of ‘shame on you.’” Since then, it has been questioned whether another debate would happen in light of Marshall’s extraordinarily high out-of-state funding. The Senator’s lack of local donations suggests dwindling support within the state while outside financial backers attempt to influence the election. Ultimately, it was decided that Marshall could participate in the debate after the organizers determined there was “significant public interest served by the inclusion of the incumbent United States Senator.” “In light of Nexstar graciously making a public interest exception to allow incumbent Senator Roger Marshall to qualify for the debate, Adam Hamilton will plan on joining the FOX4 debate — despite Senator Marshall failing to meet the in-state fundraising criteria and instead raising all his money from corporate PACs,” said a statement from Hamilton’s campaign. An
Fact-check busts GOP nominee’s claim she’s not 'embarrassed' by her state
Republican strategists are hoping that if Democrats are able to flip any GOP-held U.S. Senate seats in the 2026 midterms, they will be able to offset the losses by doing some flipping of their own. One of the states they're looking at is Minnesota, where Republican Michele Tafoya is up against the Democratic nominee, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. But Tafoya now finds herself in a controversy over past criticism of Minnesota she is now trying to distance herself from. Andrew Kaczynski of CNN's KFile notes that during a recent radio interview in her state, Tafoya was asked about past criticism of Minnesota. The U.S. Senate hopeful responded, "If I were embarrassed to be from Minnesota, would I be running for the United States Senate to represent Minnesota? I have never said that." But according to Kaczynski, KFile uncovered a "since-deleted tweet" from March 2023 in which Tafoya — a former television sports reporter — contradicts her recent claim. In the X post, Tafoya wrote, "I'm embarrassed to say I live in Minnesota. This state has gone so far left it's amazing any of the snow still sticks." "When another user told her she could leave," Kaczynski explains in his KFile report, "Tafoya replied, 'That's the plan! Have a great day!' She added that she was considering moving to Tennessee. A day after that, asked by another user 'promise?' she wrote, 'Yes. I want to make you and your 35 followers happy.' The deleted exchange was part of a broader pattern of Tafoya criticizing the state she is now running to represent." Kaczynski continues, "A CNN KFile review found that, in the years before launching her Senate campaign, in tweets and on her podcast, Tafoya repeatedly said she planned to leave Minnesota. At times, she described Minnesota in sharply negative terms because of its politics, while often identifying herself as a part-time Floridian and praising that state as a model of conservative governance. In just the past three years, Tafoya told followers, at least four
Texas Republican stuns with blunt new ad: Paxton 'should never' be senator
A new commercial is airing that features a former Texas Republican lawmaker who made it clear he would "never" vote for Attorney General Ken Paxton. CNN reported Wednesday that former state Rep. Glenn Rogers says in a new 30-second ad from James Talarico's U.S. Senate campaign super PAC, “I’ll never trust Ken Paxton, I’ll never support Ken Paxton and the last place he should be is the United States Senate." Rogers is far from a left-leaning Republican. He's a rancher and veterinarian from outside of Fort Worth and has long been a critic of the direction the Republican Party has taken in his state. Gov. Greg Abbott ran against Rogers in the 2024 GOP primary after Rogers refused to support school vouchers. "The ad will run statewide on digital and streaming platforms as part of the group’s eight-figure effort in the general election," CNN reported, citing a spokesperson for the political action committee. "It comes as Democrats confront a spike in outside GOP spending in recent days, suddenly giving Paxton’s side a huge advertising advantage in the closing weeks of the tight race." New polling numbers from Texas put the race at a tie, but Fox7 in Austin said there appears to be a growing problem for Paxton. The new survey from Texas Southern's Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center shows, "more than a quarter of those who identified themselves as moderate republicans said they plan to 'break ranks; and vote for the Democrat." It comes as Talarico continues to draw more support from independents. Republicans appear to be panicking, dumping buckets of cash into the Paxton race after the AG appeared to be lacking in fundraising. His former GOP opponent, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) warned that Paxton is too "lazy" to fund raise. The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday that GOP-aligned groups have put in more than $140 million for the struggling Paxton. That total includes about $100 million from the Senate Leadership Fund’s Texas PAC, more than $19 milli
Texas Republican stuns with blunt new ad: Paxton 'should never' be senator
A new commercial is airing that features a former Texas Republican lawmaker who made it clear he would "never" vote for Attorney General Ken Paxton. CNN reported Wednesday that former state Rep. Glenn Rogers says in a new 30-second ad from James Talarico's U.S. Senate campaign super PAC, “I’ll never trust Ken Paxton, I’ll never support Ken Paxton and the last place he should be is the United States Senate." Rogers is far from a left-leaning Republican. He's a rancher and veterinarian from outside of Fort Worth and has long been a critic of the direction the Republican Party has taken in his state. Gov. Greg Abbott ran against Rogers in the 2024 GOP primary after Rogers refused to support school vouchers. "The ad will run statewide on digital and streaming platforms as part of the group’s eight-figure effort in the general election," CNN reported, citing a spokesperson for the political action committee. "It comes as Democrats confront a spike in outside GOP spending in recent days, suddenly giving Paxton’s side a huge advertising advantage in the closing weeks of the tight race." New polling numbers from Texas put the race at a tie, but Fox7 in Austin said there appears to be a growing problem for Paxton. The new survey from Texas Southern's Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center shows, "more than a quarter of those who identified themselves as moderate republicans said they plan to 'break ranks; and vote for the Democrat." It comes as Talarico continues to draw more support from independents. Republicans appear to be panicking, dumping buckets of cash into the Paxton race after the AG appeared to be lacking in fundraising. His former GOP opponent, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) warned that Paxton is too "lazy" to fund raise. The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday that GOP-aligned groups have put in more than $140 million for the struggling Paxton. That total includes about $100 million from the Senate Leadership Fund’s Texas PAC, more than $19 milli
Trump ploy blows up in his face as GOP forced to spend big in red districts
President Donald Trump and the GOP once saw redistricting as their path to stave off a midterm wipeout, but according to a new report from MS NOW, the plan has crumbled as they have been forced to play defense in places once considered "safe." "When Republicans redrew congressional districts in a number of states over the last year, they hoped their efforts would maximize GOP House seats and minimize the number of contests where Democrats could feasibly win," the report detailed. "But now, with just weeks to go before Election Day, Republicans are suddenly finding a host of deep red districts in play — and President Donald Trump’s political operation is now spending millions to defend Republicans in a dozen districts that the GOP redrew to favor Trump by at least nine percentage points." Reviewing official records, MS NOW reported that a new Trump-affiliated PAC, Never Go Back, has already spent $6 million on GOP races in districts that the president carried by double digits in the 2024 election. The report called this the latest sign that the midterms "are shaping up to be a potential disaster for the GOP," alongside polling that consistently shows recently redrawn districts "don’t appear to be safe" from an impending blue wave. "[The] biggest investment among the ruby red redrawn districts so far is in Florida’s 25th Congressional District, where Federal Election Commission filings show No Going Back PAC spending more than $2 million on a combination of TV ads and mailers," the report continued. "In that district, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz is facing off against Republican Scott Singer, the former mayor of Boca Raton. While Florida’s 25th district backed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by approximately 5 points, Florida Republicans redrew the map to turn the area into a Trump +9.2 district. And yet, despite the new district lines, Moskowitz looks like he could pull off the upset. On Tuesday, Fox News moved its rating of the race from 'Toss-up
A lone top Republican urges party to forego Trump’s giant arch
President Donald Trump's decoration projects rely heavily on congressional approval for funding, but that appears to be coming to an end. While Trump claimed he would fully fund his ballroom project through donations, he has failed to secure the financing and has begged Congress for the cash, saying the ballroom is now a military center. The next move is to do the same with an arch, and Politico reported that at least one Republican isn't buying it. The 25-story arch with a flame atop it will stand between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, blocking the view of the soldiers buried there. While the arch was once supposed to have an "observation deck," it will now become a "military complex" with "snipers and drones," the president said over the weekend. The White House ballroom that Trump claims will also be a military complex with a drone pad atop the room is less than four miles from where the arch will be built. The Pentagon and Fort Myer are even closer, and both are protected by a multi-layered air defense network covering the National Capital region. The network involves a national advanced surface-to-air missile system, quick-response helicopters and jets and even short-range mobile air defense systems, according to a 2002 press release about the new defenses in place after the Sept. 11 attacks. Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson isn't keen on the idea. “There’s a lot of things that we need the military funding for — in fact, we’re short on military funding right now,” Simpson told reporters while at the Capitol on Monday. “If it was my choice, I wouldn’t put any of that money into the arch,” Simpson said. When he was asked whether Pentagon funds should be funneled into the project, he said it's "something that needs to be debated." However, he added, there are other DoD projects that should take priority. “I hope if they decide to do it, that they would come to Congress and ask for an appropriation for it if they’re going to use ap
Republican in tough election fight calls for 'immediate' end to Trump’s war
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) — who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst — has a history of voting with President Donald Trump more often than not, including signing off on his Big, Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. But Hinson, with the 2026 midterms roughly one and a half months away, is trying to show some independence from Trump. And now, the conservative congresswoman is calling an "immediate" end to Trump's war with Iran. In a Monday morning post on X, Hinson wrote, "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices. That includes suspending the gas tax, pausing diesel exports, unleashing E-15 everywhere we can, reinstating the $1/gallon biodiesel tax credit, and creating a diesel relief program to help our farmers and truckers being crushed by the high costs. While doing this, we should also ensure our highway trust fund is replenished, so that Iowans don't suffer from crumbling roads and bridges while relief comes our way now." Hinson continued, "These actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end. I am working every day to deliver bipartisan results for Iowans and I will work with anyone who is ready to tackle this challenge immediately." More than six and a half months ago, in late February, Trump launched a war against Iran. Trump promised a quick, brief military operation, but the conflict is showing no signs of wrapping up. And Trump's war is leading to higher fuel prices at a time when inflation is a major source of frustration for voters. Although Trump won Iowa in 2016, 2020 and 2024, Democratic strategists believe they have a shot at flipping the U.S. Senate seat Ernst presently holds and are feeling optimistic about their nominee Josh Turek. In order to regain control of the U.S. Senate, Democrats will need to
Not just Trump: A Republican's strategy could take down his entire cabinet
Donald Trump is the only president in U.S history who was impeached twice. Trump was acquitted in U.S. Senate trials both times, but according to MS NOW reporter Kevin Frey, a third Trump impeachment is a strong possibility if Democrats recapture the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms. And their 2027 impeachment strategy may not end with Trump. Moreover, Frey reports in MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), they may have some unlikely help from Republicans. "If Democrats win control of Congress next year," Frey explains, "they'll be faced with a familiar question: Should they impeach President Donald Trump? But one of the president's most outspoken critics from within his own party has some advice for Democrats: Don't underestimate the power of impeaching Cabinet secretaries. Just last week, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky demonstrated the potential power of impeachment when he introduced a resolution targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth." Frey adds, "After Massie's surprise move, House GOP leaders — who already were sending the House home two weeks early for campaign season — decided to throw in the towel and leave even sooner rather than allow the vote." Although Massie is a Republican with libertarian leanings, he hasn't been afraid to challenge Trump at times — which led to Trump backing a congressional primary challenge against him. Massie, having lost the primary, will be leaving Congress in early January 2027. But Frey, in his article, doesn't rule out the possibility of other Republicans joining Democrats in supporting articles of impeachment against Trump or members of his Cabinet in 2027 should Democrats flip the House. Massie, according to Frey, "suggested there's a lesson in the whole mess" and said that "impeaching Cabinet members is highly underrated." Massie told MS NOW, "I would think a lot of these Cabinet secretaries are going to get pardons at the end of their tenure — or the end of the president's tenure, at least." According to Fre
Earthquake as Trump dooms GOP in red state stronghold he won 3 times
Although Kansas has a two-term centrist Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, the state is still deep red. The last Democrat to win Kansas in a presidential election was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and Kelly's gubernatorial victories in 2018 and 2022 were the exception rather than the rule. But according to Never Trump conservative Mona Charen, Kansas is turning out to be a worry for Republicans despite the fact that President Donald Trump carried the midwestern state in three presidential elections in a row. In an article for the conservative website The Bulwark, Charen — a veteran columnist who worked as a speechwriter for First Lady Nancy Reagan during the 1980s — doesn't gloss over the fact that Kansas is a tough state for Democrats. But she stresses that the state's 2026 U.S. Senate race appears to be in play for Democrats. "The home of Dwight Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart is rarely part of the national conversation — but that could be about to change," Charen explains in The Bulwark. "It is becoming clear that the race for Senate this year could be a huge upset … Kansas has voted Republican in every presidential contest since 1968 and hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. In light of that history, it would be foolish to get one's hopes up too much about the Senate contest there this year. After all, the Republican incumbent, Roger Marshall, won his 2020 race by more than 11 points." Charen continues, "But he isn't sounding confident. At a recent debate, he bellowed over boos from the crowd, 'What you're going to get from me — you may not agree with me on everything — but you're going to know exactly where I stand.' That sounds like someone who feels trapped and is making a virtue of necessity." Incumbent Marshall, the conservative journalist/author argues, is "trapped" thanks to Trump. "Like nearly all Republicans," Charen emphasizes, "he has lashed himself to Donald Trump as Odysseus bound himself to the ship's mast. He has bowed and scraped to MAG
Insider: You can work with Republicans without losing your soul
Democrats’ chances of taking back the Senate look better than ever, but even if November brings a blue wave, they will still not have control of the legislative and executive branches simultaneously until at least 2029. The question facing Democratic lawmakers now is how they should conduct themselves during these wilderness years if they want to regain a trifecta in the next presidential election. Voting down any idea the White House or GOP leadership propose without suggesting any alternative is a bad idea. More than three-quarters of Americans say they want more bipartisanship in Washington, and voters often punish opposition parties they view as do-nothing obstructionists. Fetterman, take notes: When you vote with Republicans, do it to help working-class families buy homes, not to make sure gas prices keep going up. But when we say Democrats should be more bipartisan, it’s important to specify what we mean. This moment has provided exemplars of two very different kinds of aisle crossing, which I’ll refer to as John Fetterman Bipartisanship and Elizabeth Warren Bipartisanship. Sen. Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) bipartisanship is largely performative. He’s constantly appearing on Fox News to scold his fellow Democrats for calling President Donald Trump a fascist, denounce democratic socialism, defend Israel’s devastation of Gaza, or praise the giant monument to Trump’s ego that is the White House ballroom. And when it’s not performative, it’s actively harmful. Fetterman voted to confirm disastrous Trump appointees like former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—both of whom turned out to be too incompetent even for this administration. He voted against war powers resolutions that could have hastened the end of the costly and unnecessary conflict with Iran. He voted to end last year’s government shutdown, throwing away leverage Democrats could have used to keep healthcare affordable for millions of families. And h
Insider: You can work with Republicans without losing your soul
Democrats’ chances of taking back the Senate look better than ever, but even if November brings a blue wave, they will still not have control of the legislative and executive branches simultaneously until at least 2029. The question facing Democratic lawmakers now is how they should conduct themselves during these wilderness years if they want to regain a trifecta in the next presidential election. Voting down any idea the White House or GOP leadership propose without suggesting any alternative is a bad idea. More than three-quarters of Americans say they want more bipartisanship in Washington, and voters often punish opposition parties they view as do-nothing obstructionists. Fetterman, take notes: When you vote with Republicans, do it to help working-class families buy homes, not to make sure gas prices keep going up. But when we say Democrats should be more bipartisan, it’s important to specify what we mean. This moment has provided exemplars of two very different kinds of aisle crossing, which I’ll refer to as John Fetterman Bipartisanship and Elizabeth Warren Bipartisanship. Sen. Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) bipartisanship is largely performative. He’s constantly appearing on Fox News to scold his fellow Democrats for calling President Donald Trump a fascist, denounce democratic socialism, defend Israel’s devastation of Gaza, or praise the giant monument to Trump’s ego that is the White House ballroom. And when it’s not performative, it’s actively harmful. Fetterman voted to confirm disastrous Trump appointees like former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—both of whom turned out to be too incompetent even for this administration. He voted against war powers resolutions that could have hastened the end of the costly and unnecessary conflict with Iran. He voted to end last year’s government shutdown, throwing away leverage Democrats could have used to keep healthcare affordable for millions of families. And h
Top expert warns GOP running out of time to save must-win midterm race
Republicans are still running behind in a must-win swing state race in the coming midterms, and as one of the nation's top election forecasting experts warned, the party is almost out of time to turn things around. As President Donald Trump's toxic reputation with voters has tanked the GOP's midterm prospects, it has grown increasingly possible that it might lose its Senate majority, as well as the House of Representatives. One of the make-or-break races in that fight is in Michigan, where former Republican congressman Mike Rogers has continued to trail his Democratic opponent, epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed. Republicans have attempted to torpedo El-Sayed's chances by accentuating his progressive stances as too left-wing, as well as his past affiliations with controversial commentator Hasan Piker, but so far, these efforts have not seemed to seal the deal with voters. Decision Desk HQ is an outlet considered to be one of the foremost sources for election results tracking in the U.S. On Sunday, its director of data science, Scott Tranter, told NewsNation that "time is running out" for Rogers to reverse his fortunes, adding that the race is "closer than it should be if you’re the Republicans and want to keep the Senate." Tranter's site currently gives El-Sayed a 67 percent chance of winning the race, with Rogers only having a 33 percent chance. "El-Sayed’s got the momentum. It’s pretty undeniable,” Tranter explained. “Michigan’s going to start voting in about a month on the early side. And look, everything you know about Michigan –– about a third of that voing to come in before Election Day. So Mike Rogers’s time is running out.” Tranter also agreed with host Chris Stirewalt that El-Sayed could face scrutiny from Michigan's notable bloc of pro-Palestinian Muslim voters, given his past support of former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose association with the Biden administration and its support of Israel was widely credited with tanking her chances in the state. He
Top expert warns GOP running out of time to save must-win midterm race
Republicans are still running behind in a must-win swing state race in the coming midterms, and as one of the nation's top election forecasting experts warned, the party is almost out of time to turn things around. As President Donald Trump's toxic reputation with voters has tanked the GOP's midterm prospects, it has grown increasingly possible that it might lose its Senate majority, as well as the House of Representatives. One of the make-or-break races in that fight is in Michigan, where former Republican congressman Mike Rogers has continued to trail his Democratic opponent, epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed. Republicans have attempted to torpedo El-Sayed's chances by accentuating his progressive stances as too left-wing, as well as his past affiliations with controversial commentator Hasan Piker, but so far, these efforts have not seemed to seal the deal with voters. Decision Desk HQ is an outlet considered to be one of the foremost sources for election results tracking in the U.S. On Sunday, its director of data science, Scott Tranter, told NewsNation that "time is running out" for Rogers to reverse his fortunes, adding that the race is "closer than it should be if you’re the Republicans and want to keep the Senate." Tranter's site currently gives El-Sayed a 67 percent chance of winning the race, with Rogers only having a 33 percent chance. "El-Sayed’s got the momentum. It’s pretty undeniable,” Tranter explained. “Michigan’s going to start voting in about a month on the early side. And look, everything you know about Michigan –– about a third of that voing to come in before Election Day. So Mike Rogers’s time is running out.” Tranter also agreed with host Chris Stirewalt that El-Sayed could face scrutiny from Michigan's notable bloc of pro-Palestinian Muslim voters, given his past support of former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose association with the Biden administration and its support of Israel was widely credited with tanking her chances in the state. He
Cornered Republican caught between Trump and exploding voter rage
Alaska is so Republican that a Democratic presidential candidate hasn't carried the state since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Yet Alaska's 2026 U.S. Senate race is surprisingly close, with polls showing centrist Democratic nominee Mary Peltola slightly head of incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). An
Trump’s biggest new nominee won’t be able to escape one key question
Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next Federal Reserve Chair, will begin his confirmation hearings this week, and according to Politico, there is one key question above all that he will be unable to avoid throughout the whole process. "The main thing that senators, Wall Street and the White House want out of Kevin Warsh’s nomination hearing for Federal Reserve chair on Tuesday is to know whether he will bow to President Donald Trump," the outlet proclaims in a piece from Tuesday morning. The process to set a new Fed chair comes under a dark cloud, as Trump spent much of his first year back in the White House pressuring current Chair Jerome Powell, whom the president himself appointed, to lower interest rates, something heavily desired by his business allies. Powell rebuked that pressure, leading Trump to ramp up his efforts, threatening to fire him and seemingly pushing his Justice Department to pursue a dubious criminal investigation into his conduct. Beyond anything else that can be gleaned from Warsh's background, this context has led to widespread concern that he is being appointed to follow Trump's every command, despite the Fed chair needing to remain independent from the White House. Trump himself has explicitly stated in the past that he planned to put forward a nominee who would cut rates, no matter the economic circumstances. "Warsh was selected for the government’s most important economic post by a president who has aggressively made it clear that he wants much lower interest rates," Politico explained. "Trump’s vow that he would only pick a central bank leader who would cut borrowing costs — alongside his repeated threats to fire outgoing Chair Jerome Powell — guarantees that questions about the Fed’s autonomy will outweigh anything Warsh is likely to say about interest rates or the economic fallout from the war in Iran. And the nominee will be contending with the competing goals of two audiences: convincing senators that he’s committed to protecting the central bank’s independence, without angering Trump." “Both Republicans and Democrats will probably have good, real questions for him,” Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican and senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, told the press. “It’ll be a lot on Fed independence.” “The key question would be: ‘If he tries to fire you, are you leaving?'" one anonymous former committee staffer told Politico. "'Jay Powell stood up to this attack. Would you?’”
Infighting grips GOP as lawmakers draw battle lines over key issue
In the past, conservative Republicans ranging from Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to GOP strategist Karl Rove were aggressive proponents of immigration. Reagan famously argued that Latinos were natural-born Republicans — they just didn't know it yet — and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a fluent Spanish speaker, expressed his pro-immigration views during appearances on Univision. But hardline views on immigration are a prime feature of President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles have been a source of heated debates during his second presidency. In an article published on April 21, Politico's Samuel Benson details GOP infighting surrounding the Dignity Act — an immigration reform bill that conservative Rep. María Elvira Salazar originally introduced in 2023 and reintroduced in 2025. The bill has bipartisan support, while MAGA's immigration hardliners are adamantly opposed to it—including Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) and "War Room" host Steve Bannon. "The GOP's escalating infighting over immigration now has a pair of PACs lining up millions of dollars on opposing sides of Republican primaries across the country," Benson reports. "The dueling pledges turn a congressional fight over Rep. María Elvira Salazar's (R-Fla.) Dignity Act into an electoral proxy war between hardliners and moderates over how far the Republican Party should go on immigration reform. It's putting the bill's 20 House GOP co-sponsors in the spotlight." The Politico reporter continues, "The Homeland PAC, backed by immigration-restrictionist Republicans, launched last week in an effort to primary some of those co-sponsors. Meanwhile, American Business Immigration Coalition Action, a pro-immigration group, secured $1.2 million to protect them through its Building America's Economy PAC and hopes to raise $5 million in total, according to plans first shared with Politico." Benson notes that the Dignity Act is facing "an onslaught of criticism from conservative MAGA influencers and allies of President Donald Trump." "While the bill doesn't create pathways to citizenship, it would allow millions of unauthorized immigrants to eventually gain work permits and remain in the U.S. legally," Benson explains. "Republicans like battleground Reps. Gabe Evans (Colo.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) have signed onto the bill. But critics pan it as 'amnesty' and signal that the future of the Republican Party hinges on this debate." GOP strategist and Homeland PAC organizer Ryan Girdusky argues that Trump shouldn't be the last word on whether the Dignity Act passes or not. Girdusky told Politico, "Donald Trump is not going to be around forever. The goal is to focus and to put our efforts into the future, and make sure Republicans know that the demand for stronger borders and for reforms to legal immigration and illegal immigration means something. We are not going to roll over and go back to business as usual." Rebbeca Shi, CEO of ABIC Action — a PAC defending supporters of the Dignity Act — told Politico, "Extreme-right internet influencers have escalated their attacks, and we want to ensure the leadership on common-sense immigration reform are protected."