Founder, @UChilPolitics; Chief Political Analyst for @CNN. Author, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics. Host of The Axe Files & Hack on Top podcasts
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If you think '26 is going to be a normal election, even after @POTUS's redistricting scheme & declaration that mail-in voting & voting machines should be eliminated, the appt of a notorious election denier as "election security" chief should end all doubt.
Can you win the Nobel for bringing India, China and Russia together!?! #terriblestrategy
.@realDonaldTrump cut a deal with RFK Jr. for his endorsement last year. As we watch the chaos & destruction of our public health system, it's not hyperbole to say Americans will pay for it with their lives for generations to come. nytimes.com/2025/08/29/hea… via @NYTimes
With all the other tumult going on, the chaos at the CDC and Kennnedy's maniacal war on proven science and essential vaccines may have as far-reaching and tragic implications as anything the @POTUS is doing.
Russian Missile and Drone Attack Kills at Least 15 in Kyiv As @POTUS fiddles, Kiev burns. What exactly did Trump SAY to Putin in that limo?!? nytimes.com/2025/08/28/wor… via @NYTimes
Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent Apparently this was an unarmed Sub! nytimes.com/2025/08/27/us/… via @NYTimes
Last year, Trump said he "hated" @taylorswift13. He said she was no longer "hot." Today, he called her a "lovely person." Looks like SOMEBODY's looking for a big opening act for the new Trump-Kennedy Center
"We need people who are 100% above board." The @POTUS explains why he has summarily dismissed a Fed board governor, based on unproven allegations. His explanation for why he would attempt this apparently illegal maneuver is far from "above board." He wants to take over the Fed.
"Abe Lincoln, whose top hat and rifles are in the Smithsonian, urged Americans to move past the Civil War “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” Trump has malice for all, charity toward none."
It's good to know the @POTUS feels so strongly about the appropriate handling of highly classified documents.
The @chicagosky honored the great @Candace_Parker--the pride of Naperville, who brought a championship home to Chicago--by hoisting her # 3 to the rafters at the Wintrust Arena. Her speech was one of the finest & most moving I've ever heard at one of these events
During the Great Recession in '09, when @BarackObama stepped in and the government took a stake in GM and Chrysler to save them from collapse, the @GOP howled "socialism!" Trump now demands Intel give the government a 10% stake in their company, and what does the GOP say? Crickets. Nada. Nothing.
Last year, Trump said he "hated" @taylorswift13. He said she was no longer "hot." Today, he called her a "lovely person." Looks like SOMEBODY's looking for a big opening act for the new Trump-Kennedy Center!
Two questions: 1) What does a convicted sex trafficker consider "inappropriate?" 2) If she WERE trying to win a parole or commutation--or a transfer to a minimum security, "Club Fed" prison camp--aren't these precisely the things she would say?
Hegseth fires general whose agency's intel assessment of damage from Iran strikes angered Trump. When is everyone in government going to learn--you share information the POTUS doesn't like, you get fed to the wood chipper!
Russia's foreign minister says no Putin-Zelenskyy summit planned despite Trump's peace push. Putin has played Trump like a fiddle. He got treated with full honors on American soil & bought time to continue his assault, without additional sanctions.
This, I fear, is a trailer for today's WH summit between Trump and Zelensky: @POTUS: "This is the best deal you're going to get. Take it or lose your country." I hope that is not the scenario that unfolds but the details that have emerged seem to be very much on Putin's terms.
The White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary The guys who declared their independence from a mad king 249 yrs ago would have lots to say about THIS!
People who devote their lives to saving others should never have been made targets by conspiracy theorists. People who spread baseless conspiracies should never be entrusted with power.
If the economy you promised to boost is lagging, w/prices rising... If the wars you vowed to end--"very quickly"--are still raging... If you continue to hide the Epstein files & dangle a pardon for his accomplice...you need a BIG distraction! Introducing... The DC takeover!!
Man, anyone tried to buy stuff from @BestBuy lately? Once you put in an order, they make it impossible to change anything before delivery. You just get lost in an endless labyrinth of bots and overseas operators who either fake a lack of understanding or just hope wear you down.
Trump ordering up 5 new R-leaning congressional districts in TX before the midterms recalls his 2020 call to the SecState of GA. "I just need you to find 11,780 votes." Sadly, the TX @GOP seems more willing to bow to Trump than the Georgians were.
"He was 100 percent for Trump," the @POTUS says, in answer to question about pardoning George Santos. Tells you everything you need to know. It's all about Trump.
Trump always accuses others of corruption to create a pretext to do it himself. No POTUS, R or D, has "rigged" the jobs numbers, which are simply data, reported by technocrats. The numbers don't lie. But now Trump wants to find someone to run the agency who will.
Trump seeks to fire official overseeing jobs data after weak employment report. Completely predictable. And dangerous!
Trump Administration Live Updates: Maxwell Moved to Minimum-Security Prison After DOJ Questioning on Epstein. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to say, something deeply fishy is going on here! nytimes.com/live/2025/08/0… via @NYTimes
“The Deal is that South Korea will give to the United States $350 Billion Dollars for Investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself,” @POTUS said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. Say WHAT?!? "Selected by myself?!?"
It was so exciting to wake up and see headlines about big trade deals as the deadline approaches. And then I realized that they were talking about Trump and not @MLB!
Trump is all about leverage. Is keeping open the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell an insurance policy--maybe even an inducement--to keep him out of the story? In any case, dangling the possibility a pardon for a woman who recruited, groomed & assaulted girls is despicable.
How Trump flew all the way to Scotland and still couldn't work his way out of the Epstein sand trap. This and more on an all-new @HacksOnTap, with guest Hack @Lis_Smith, @murphymike and me!
Words can hardly capture the horror of mass starvation in Gaza. Denial is not an option when unswerving fidelity to the policies of @IsraelPM runs headlong into Jewish values and basic humanity. This is not who we are.
As climate becomes a greater and greater challenge to @MLB baseball, teams with domed stadiums to protect fans and players from extreme heat, and can avoid weather-related cancellations, will have an increasing edge.
Earlier, I erred in suggesting @POTUS's gilded, new AF-1 would cost nearly as much as his cuts to Medicaid & food assistance. Inexcusably bad math. According to a @nytimes analysis, the cost to taxpayers of retrofitting the plane-- "gifted" to the U.S. by Qatar--could be nearly a billion.
Thrilled to hear that @ktumulty, a stellar @UChiPolitics fellow and board member and one of the nation's most thoughtful journalists, has been named chief political correspondent of the @washingtonpost. A worthy successor to the legendary @DanBalz, who retires this month!
Visited Lady Liberty today & was inspired by a massive crowd from across the U.S. and around the world. They come daily, not just to glimpse the statue or climb her crown, but to pay tribute to our country as a beacon of freedom and hope. It's hard to kill such a powerful ideal!
Insurers are seeking hefty 2026 rate increases for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, the coverage known as Obamacare. If you are one of the millions who may face them, know that is but one consequence of the big and not so beautiful bill just passed,
Personally, I'm more concerned about Trump's angles than his ankles.
Is this for real?!? I'm beginning to worry that Grok is beginning to think about running in '28!
So interesting to watch @POTUS, who clearly doesn't want a full airing of the Epstein files for fairly obvious reasons, trying to rebrand the whole saga as a Democratic "hoax"--even though Epstein was indicted and died while TRUMP was in office! DJT wants to get MAGA back in line!
I hope Americans who can will send a few bucks to their local @NPR stations, which play such an important role in the life of communities across the country.
The chief health officer of the U.S. is a major purveyor of demonstrably false tropes about life-saving vaccines, and the power to act on them. This is very dangerous.
Trump: “Putin fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden — he didn’t fool me,” Mr. Trump said. 🤣
Trump gives Putin ANOTHER 50 days to settle the war Putin started--a war that Trump said repeatedly he would end in a day. Putin laughs.
I've said this from the start: Anyone who thinks Pam Bondi decided on her own to do a 180 and inflame MAGA on the Epstein file release hasn't been paying attention. There's only one guy who could have ordered it--and had a motive to--but it's sacrilege on the Right to say it!
Trump Is Gutting Weather Science and Reducing Disaster Response This is frighteningly foolish, and the consequences to lives and communities will be severe. nytimes.com/2025/07/13/cli… via @NYTimes
Did anyone ask the @POTUS on his visit to the flood-ravaged Hill Country of Texas whether he still believes climate change is a "hoax?"
We lost David Gergen this week. He served 4 POTUSs of BOTH parties and as a distinguished editor & commentator, who offered wisdom & insight, not clickbait bile. David treated everyone he met w/kindness & grace. May his memory be a blessing...and example! app.frame.io/presentations/…
For nearly half a century, @DanBalz of the @washingtonpost has set the standard for political journalism. He has brought uncommon humility, grace and insight to his reporting, which reflected a commitment to listen deeply to the voices of Americans instead of simply rehashing the often clueless.
There is nothing about Stephen Miller that suggests he understands what's made America great or why our children SHOULD love her. This is stuff of authoritarianism, not conservatism or democracy.
Stephen Miller: "Children will be taught to love America … As we close the Dept of Education and provide funding to states, we're going to make sure these funds are not being used to promote communist ideology." @atrupar
Trump with tariffs is like putting a bazooka in the hands of a 6-year-old. No telling what he might blow up at any given moment.
After media reports & experts warned for months that drastic & sudden cuts at the Nat Weather Service by Trump could impair their forecasting ability & endanger lives during the storm season, TX officials blame an inaccurate forecast by NWS for the deadly results of the flood.
And by talented, I mean smart, thoughful, courageous and effective. Great personal story. Christian is a thoroughly admirable guy.
Repeating, for those who missed: This bill, as written, will strangle the Affordable Care Act that Trump has targeted for years, costing millions of working Americans access to health care. This is ON TOP of the Medicaid cuts, that will mean 12 million more will lose coverage.
For 50 years, Sister Rosemary Connelly transformed Chicago’s Misericordia into one of the nation’s most respected care homes, supporting thousands of people with developmental disabilities. I will always admire her unshakeable belief that every life has purpose.
There's nothing at all conservative about the federal government forcing the resignation of a state university president to enforce its own ideological agenda. nytimes.com/2025/06/27/us/… via @NYTimes
That's why the drafters of the Constitution imbedded freedom of the press in the 1st Amendment. That probing can be uncomfortable for presidents but not nearly as uncomfortable as the absence of it would or should make citizens.
Among the important things that separates democracies from autocracies is the accountability that comes from a free and probing press.
In 1964, Bob Dylan wrote a song that became an anthem for/from restive young people in another era of tumult and change. I thought of it the other day when the results came in from NYC, where the young rendered a resounding verdict on Old Guard politics.
What is very clear is that world leaders, friends and foes alike, have found the most effective weapon for disarming the @POTUS. Flattery! You saw it again at NATO. Works like a charm.
The controversy over the facts around the Iran attack stems from the @POTUS's unquenchable thirst for credit and praise that leads him to overclaim. To say that the military performed splendidly and inflicted enormous damage would have been enough. But he needed to say it's over, one-and-done.
The irony is that Trump would get MORE credit if he weren't so relentlessly craven about claiming--and overclaiming--it! And the people around him would have more credibility if they were not compelled to amplify and support his overclaiming.
Finally, it was cynical even by Trump's standards for him to suggest that to question the instant, conclusive analysis he offered Americans in the hours after the B-2 mission, was in any way an attack on the brave men and woman who carried it out. It was more than cynical. It was cowardly.
General Caine deserves our admiration for the professional and credible manner in which he has briefed on the Iran mission, Sunday and today. SecDef Hegseth deserves another cookie from the boss for his unhinged, attack dog antics, berating the media for reporting facts he himself acknowledged.
.@POTUS says the Intel community should "issue the report when you know what happened." Shouldn't the same admonition apply to HIM? He claimed the "complete and total obliteration" of the Iran nuclear program just hours after the attack. Now he is compounding the mess by insisting on his story.
Canada will provide new military support — including drones, armoured vehicles, and equipment Ukraine needs to defend its sovereignty. We’re also disbursing a $2.3B loan to help Ukraine rebuild its infrastructure, and advancing a new sanctions package that targets Russia’s illicit shadow fleet.
This just happened in the United States of America.Not Russia.Not Venezuela. A U.S Senator, manhandled by uniformed officers of the U.S. government,for challenging the Homeland Security director about what's happening in LA. Everyone of his colleagues, Republican and Democrat, should speak out NOW!
I understand/share the fear & outrage @POTUS is creating w/his extra-Constitutional acts. But I also know that everytime someone lights a car on fire or hurls a bottle at a cop, it serves his purposes. It helps him paint a false, dystopic picture to justify his actions.
announcing that he'd cast his key vote for RFK Jr.'s nomination to HHS, @SenBillCassidy said he had Kennedy's commitment that "he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes." If so, Kennedy lied.
They weren't eating cats and dogs in Springfield, OH. Aurora CO was not under siege. The "caravans" magically ceased the moment the polls closed in '18. And LA isn't even remotely in danger of "burning to the ground." This is his go-to parlor trick, folks, to divide and distract.
Congress is deciding just how deeply to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to extend tax cuts, but estimates are 10-15million will lose coverage. At the same time,we're spending $45 million for the president's Soviet-style military parade Sat on his birthday. Talk about waste,fraud and abuse!
Trump keeps taking executive actions that blatantly, flagrantly exceed his authorities under the law and the Constitution. And he keeps losing in court, regardless of WHO appointed the judges. ( Some of them were HIS.) Yet he and his apparatchiks call it a "judicial coup."
I was at the gate at Midway this morning,when a woman cried out desperately for help. Her husband apparently had a heart attack. As airport personnel and EMTs worked on him, the woman wailed and prayed to Jesus to save him. I had to board my flight but suddenly the trip seemed a lot less important.
I've flown in Air Force One. Not a lot of gold but still a very cool ride.
EXCLUSIVE: We dug up a video of Donald Trump trashing Qatar in 2017 calling them “funders of terrorism.” I’m sure he would hate if this clip changed their mind to give him a $400 million plane - so definitely don’t repost it.
Sean Duffy: "We're all been reporting and seeing what's happening at Newark airport. And I think it's clear that the blame belongs with the last administration."
Proud to receive a Webby Award today for The Axe Files podcast, and grateful to the 605 women and men from all corners of the globe who joined me and shared their stories. Real, authentic conversation is how we break down barriers and find our common humanity.
Trump exec orders can be as meaningful as a Trump University degree. But if he actually delivers on what Biden started and dramatically lowers U.S. Rx costs for consumers --without limiting access to lifesaving drugs--I will be the first to applaud.
No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. Article I, Sec 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution
This is Unreal! Pope Leo XIV made the broadcast while at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series
BREAKING: New stained glass has just been installed in St. Peter's Basilica
James Madison:An elective despotism was NOT the government we fought for; but one in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among the several bodies of magistracy so that no one could transcend their legal limits without being effectually checked and balanced by the others.
Chicago produced a Pope before a QB who throws for 4000 yards.
Holy smokes!! An American Pope! From CHICAGO!!!
REPORTER: You just announced a new nominee for US Surgeon General who never finished her residency, and is not a practicing physician. So can you explain why you picked her to be America's top doctor? TRUMP: Because Bobby thought she was fantastic ... I don't know her
You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate the joy and anticipation at the appearance in St. Peter's Square of white smoke, a signal that a new Pope has been chosen. In a complicated and challenging world, it is a refreshing rite to behold.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney claps back hard at Trump’s idea about Canada becoming the 51st state. Trump: "As a real estate developer, when you get rid of that artificial line, when you look at that beautiful formation together, I said, ‘that’s the way it was meant to be.’”
Holy smokes! What a gutty, amazing win by the @nuggets! Looked for 3 quarters like @okcthunder, the best team in the league all year, had the game under control. Then the Joker played his hand!
Whatever disagreements I have w/@Mike_Pence, there is no one more deserving of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award he received tonight. He not only sacrificed his career but risked his life to uphold a bedrock principle of our democracy--free and fair elections.
And in doing so, @Mike_Pence faithfully observed his oath to the Constitution and acted accordingly, under the most extraordinary pressure. It was an historic act of courage.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova,responds to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent remark that he hopes nuclear weapons will not be required to resolve the war in Ukraine: He is a threat,not only to Ukraine but also to anyone who believes that nations should live peacefully.
I wonder how much @POTUS's doubts about the National Security Council stem from his last admin, when an NSC notetaker chronicled the call with Zelensky, during which Trump asked that Ukraine open a probe on potential rival @JoeBiden. That call led to Trump's 1st impeachment.
(Not to mention his hostility to Zelensky!)
The @POTUS actually posted this. Is it BEING Pope that appeals to him, or all that gold?!? And if he loses in the conclave, will he call it a rigged election?!?
The times are too huge for small talk, so I'm looking forward to sitting down Monday with the no-BS, always interesting, witty and often provocative @cthagod! @UChiPolitics
BREAKING: Bernie Sanders on Trump’s out of touch comment about kids getting 2 dolls instead of 30. “Billionaires like Musk and Trump do not have a clue about what it means for a working class family trying to buy presents for the kids
Just months ago, the Liberal Party of Canada was headed for a thumping. Then @realDonaldTrump intervened with tariffs, threats and denigrations that stirred a sense of nationalist pride behind new PM @MarkJCarney . If Carney wins Monday, Trump can-but won't-claim a lot of credit!
Also, it's noteworthy that this closing ad from PM @MarkJCarney strikes a positive, optimistic tone. Quite a contrast with the grinding politics of our times.
.@Lakers lose in the end but this block by @KingJames was really remarkable, especially coming at that point in the game. Oh to be 40 again!