America may never reach 'herd immunity,' thanks to anti-vax Republicans

The actions of Republican governors—like Texas’ Greg Abbott or Mississippi’s Tate Reeves—who are outlawing mask mandates and insisting that...

North Carolina Republicans won't say a bad word about their rising star, no matter what

Two of North Carolina’s Republican representatives in Washington, D.C., have been in the news lately, giving the state Republican Party a chance...

Alabama Amazon workers face a fierce anti-union campaign—and support in surprising places

Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, got an almost unprecedented show of support from President Joe Biden on Sunday, when he tweeted a...

After marathon session, and Manchin antics, Senate ready to pass American Rescue Plan

The longest vote in Senate history finally ended Friday night at 10:53, ET having started at 11:03 AM. That vote was on Sen. Bernie Sanders'...

The filibuster fight is coming soon, and the fight for a living wage could be key to its elimination

The grueling final Senate debate on President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill delivered an unsettling realization to progressives—the...

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The legislative process moves forward in starts and fits

USA Today: The Backstory: A reporter arrested while covering a protest faces trial Monday. Here's why you should care. "I'm just doing my job as a...

Post-insurrection crackdown on far-right extremists leads to arrests, charges around the country

If there has been a silver lining in the Jan. 6 insurrection, it would be this: Law enforcement officials finally appear to be taking far-right...

Our stock market is completely broken. Now what?

One of the few silver linings of this deadly pandemic will hopefully be the final death of the myth that the stock market is, in any way, a...

Voting Rights Roundup: The House's new voting rights bill now curtails gerrymandering right away

Programming Note : The Voting Rights Roundup will be taking a break the week of March 13 but will return the following week. ● Congress: On...

Community Spotlight: Starting local for national impact

Last week , Besame introduced us to the Town Hall Project , a volunteer program she’s joined that tracks town halls and other social interactions...

Atlanta D.A.'s latest hire in Trump investigation is a racketeering expert

One of the many criminal investigations of Donald Trump may have ramped up to another level this weekend. Specifically, the investigation into...

The call (to the Proud Boys) is coming from inside the (White) House!

When the first QAnon posts jumped in to leverage the ugly Pizzagate conspiracy theory with a whole new level of destructive, divisive hate, the...

Tipped workers face added sexual harassment during the pandemic, this week in the war on workers

In the fight for a $15 minimum wage, don’t forget about tipped workers. While the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009—and...

The Texas Democrats did an autopsy on why 2020 went wrong. Here's what they found

Sign up for my weekly newsletter to read more content like this! The Texas Democratic Party released an  Election Data Analysis  last week...

Which House districts saw the biggest shifts in the 2020 presidential election?

Using Daily Kos Elections' recently completed calculations of the 2020 presidential result by congressional district, the map shown at the top of...

News flash: Ted Cruz did something deeply dishonest (and xenophobic) on the Senate floor today

What does it say about Republicans that the two biggest assholes in the multiverse were their No. 1 and No. 2 choice for president in 2016? Of...

Josh Hawley was right to worry, because the FBI really is reading his communications with insurgents

America watched the events of the January riot and insurgency occur in real time. They saw Trump supporters pushing down police lines to swarm the...

Governors drop mask mandates and open in-restaurant dining. New report shows these are huge mistakes

Across the nation, a number of Republican governors are rushing to drop mask mandates and end social distancing guidelines. It almost seems as if...

Johnson's delay tactics fizzle, and Senate gets down to business of passing COVID-19 relief

After a mammoth afternoon, evening, and night of Senate clerks being forced to read the entirety of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan—10...

Eric Swalwell files second major lawsuit against Trump, allies for inciting deadly Capitol siege

Rep. Eric Swalwell filed a new lawsuit Friday in DC's federal District Court against Donald Trump and his closest allies for inspiring the deadly...

As Biden wins over 70% of Americans with his pandemic response, Republicans seize on being useless

It's not particularly surprising that congressional Republicans—desperate for something to paper over their Trump-inspired rifts—would rally...

Federal judge slams ICE for 'doing nothing' to get COVID-19 vaccine to detained immigrants

A federal judge in New York slammed immigration officials at a detention center in the state for continuing to fail to protect detained immigrants...

Cartoon: Best frienemies forever

Now that the report from the Director of National Intelligence confirms Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in the murder and dismemberment of...

Mississippi school assignment asks students to 'pretend' to be slaves and write back home to Africa

I was hoping the end of Black History Month would mean the end to drive-by reinventions of Black history meant to pacify white people, but oh was I...

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The consequences of inaction and obstruction

Ezra Klein/NY Times: Biden Is the Anti-Trump, and It’s Working If you can dial down the conflict, you can dial up the policy. But the relative...

Cat got their tongues? GOP silence as top donor faces trial for biggest tax fraud scheme in history

Have you heard of Robert Brockman? He’s a billionaire. Brockman is the former CEO of Reynolds & Reynolds, a software company based in Ohio. He’s...

GOP congressional candidate howls 'Boycott Target' hours after whining about 'cancel culture'

Consistency really isn’t the GOP’s thing, is it? In the last election cycle, Tom Norton, a once and future candidate for Congress, challenged...

What to expect when you're inoculating (i.e. what you can—and can't—do after being vaccinated)

Congratulations! You have a fresh SpongeBob Band-Aid on your off arm; a dose of Pfizer, or Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine sunk deep into...

Manchin’s antics threaten to blow up COVID-19 relief bill, take unemployment away from millions

Who needs Republicans like Sen. Ron Johnson to sabotage President Joe Biden's first major and absolutely critical proposal when Democrats have...

Sen. Jeff Merkley: It's get rid of the filibuster, or face a 'Democratic Party Armageddon in 2022'

Sen. Tina Smith, the first-term Democrat from Minnesota, became the most recent Senate convert to ending the filibuster. "I believe that the...

Republicans think bashing trans athletes will win over the suburbs. They're wrong again

As an outgrowth of Republicans long history of championing women's issues they have suddenly taken up women's sports as their new hobby horse. But...

Supreme Court dismisses so-called sanctuary city cases following Biden admin request

The Supreme Court on Friday granted a request from the Biden administration to dismiss several cases around the previous administration’s...

Trump appointee at State Department arrested after he was ID'd charging at Capitol Police

Late on Thursday, Politico reported that the FBI had arrested Federico Klein. The 42-year-old Klein was a former State Department aide under Donald...

Cheers and Jeers: Rum and Social Distancing FRIDAY!

Late Night Snark: March Grab Bag Edition "President Biden said yesterday that his goal is that every teacher can receive the first dose of the...

Cartoon: Coronaversary cards

'They don't get to hide': These 22 companies donated to sponsors of voter suppression bills

With more than 50 bills threatening to further restrict voting rights in Georgia, state Democrats have taken their fight to protect voting rights up...

Cuomo’s team doctored report to hide official nursing home death toll

Since the start of the pandemic in the U.S., COVID-19 cases and deaths have been severely underreported nationwide. State officials have repeatedly...

Not every Republican is as bone-headed as Greg Abbott, as vaccinations exceed 2 million per day

On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott decided to toss a big fat distraction on how Republicans turned that state’s energy market into a scheme that...

Republicans offer blue-collar voters heavy helping of Dr. Seuss to put food on the table

On election night, the same party that added some $2 trillion to the national debt in order to deliver a giant tax break to the rich and...

Donald Trump Jr. and the rest of the right-wing world embarrass themselves over Dr. Seuss

On Tuesday, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the group that controls the Dr. Seuss legacy, announced it would no longer republish six of the more than 60...

Cartoon: Gavin, of Chagrin Falls, USA, faces his obsolescence

YOU can buy the two new Tom the Dancing Bug books, Tom the Dancing Bug: Into the Trumpverse , and The Super-Fun-Pak Comix Reader ! Information here....

Citing harm to tribal lands and wildlife, groups call on Biden admin to remove certain border wall

Nearly 70 indigenous rights, wildlife, and civil rights groups are calling on the Biden administration to tear down nearly 60 miles of border...

After recklessly lifting restrictions, Texas governor falsely calls asylum-seekers COVID risk

Just one day after he recklessly lifted novel coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is now trying to blame asylum-...

Insurrectionist screams during latest hearing because he doesn’t want to be in jail anymore

On Jan. 6, 2021, as the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., was under siege from a cast of Qanon characters and predominantly misguided...

Anti-trans bill targeting youth in sports heads to Republican governor's desk

With more than 20 anti-trans laws in the works across the nation, we take some comfort in the knowledge that many won’t pass out of the state...

This Week in Statehouse Action: Tuber Genitalia edition

We’re approaching the year mark of everything shutting down because of the coronavirus, and everything remains … well, kinda terrible. Sure,...

'Not a crime': KKK allowed to fly flag next door to Black family

A Black prosecutor decided not to charge a Detroit man who flew a Ku Klux Klan flag in his window near a Black family who lived next door. Wayne...

Matt Gaetz makes friendly with white nationalists when they invade CPAC gathering in Florida

Trumpist Republican politicians like Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz appear to be mimicking their role model’s ability to send comforting signals...

If you think Jacob Chansley seems a little lost, just check out his mom

Jacob Chansley, who has the gall to call himself the QAnon Shaman, wants you to know that he was only doing his civic duty during the insurrection...

Mike Pence returns with an op-ed endorsing the most important issue to Republicans: Vote suppression

On Jan. 6, a mob of Trump supporters not only stood around the Capitol chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” they erected a gallows to show how eager they...

After two weeks of testimony, one thing is clear: We need to hear from Miller, McCarthy, and Flynn

In days of testimony before Senate and House committees, three names have come up repeatedly. One of those is former acting Secretary of Defense...

COVID-19 relief bill includes desperately needed help for child care centers

The child care industry and the workers in it—overwhelmingly women, many of them women of color—have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic....

House passes major police reform bill, but qualified immunity will be a sticking point in the Senate

The House of Representatives worked late Wednesday night to wrap up key business before closing on Thursday due to warnings of a conspiracy...

Senate votes to proceed on COVID-19 relief, while Republicans vow to delay, delay, delay

The Senate voted Thursday afternoon to begin debate on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan with the assistance of Vice...

House passes critical civil rights legislation, setting up the Senate for a filibuster fight

The House stayed in late Wednesday to wrap up a critical week's of work: passing H.R. 1, the sweeping voting and democracy reforms, and a expansive...

Kevin McCarthy declared open season on his caucus. Some Republicans now regret the error

It's really hard to wrap one's mind around how hapless House Republicans are, not to mention the astounding failure in leadership Minority Leader...

House members reintroduce bills protecting millions of DACA recipients, TPS holders, farmworkers

Wednesday was a big day in the U.S. House of Representatives, with legislators reintroducing two major legalization bills that stand to affect...

Cheers and Jeers: Thursday

C&J Annual Fundraiser: Day 4 When Kos first emailed me back in 2005 about moving C&J from the diaries to the front page, he caught the gist of it...

Warning of ‘III%’ militia plot, fueled by March 4 conspiracy theories, induces House to shut down

The shadow of the Jan. 6 insurrection sent a shiver down the backs of everyone working in the U.S. Capitol this week when intelligence turned up...

DeSantis is giving vaccines meant for Black communities to wealthy white Floridians

It’s no surprise that Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis cares more about the rich than the economically vulnerable. Since the start of the COVID-19...

Over 900 Haitian immigrants were deported by Biden’s DHS, and that was just in February

Despite Joe Biden’s promise to increase the number of refugees admitted into the U.S., deportations continue nationwide—along with halts in...

No wedge issue too stupid or racist for Republicans, as Dr. Seuss flap shows

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the business that manages the legacy of the late children’s book author, decided of its own accord to stop publishing six...

Collaborative efforts helping California's farmworkers access COVID-19 vaccine

More than 1,000 farmworkers in California’s Santa Clara County will have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at pop-up clinics...

One year after the COVID-19 pandemic turned us upside down, how has life changed?

One year ago this week, my Kansas Jayhawks were the leading contenders to cut down the nets at the NCAA tournament. Everything on that team was...

Minnesota's anti-trans sports bill is unlikely to pass, but its ideas set a terrifying precedent

As Daily Kos has covered, Republicans in more than 20 states are currently pushing anti-trans legislation. This legislation tends to target...

These 19 House districts flipped parties in the 2020 presidential election

Thanks to the recent completion of Daily Kos Elections’ effort to calculate the 2020 presidential election results by congressional district, we...

California teacher uses racist and stereotypical gesture to describe Asians to her class

Since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic, crimes against the Asian community have increased globally. In the U.S.—especially because of...

Republican governors throwing states off COVID cliff, and counting on President Biden to catch them

Three weeks after a closed electricity market that’s designed to turn disasters into windfall profits collapsed in Texas, turning a winter cold...

Forceful testimony from commander of D.C. National Guard highlights unexplained delays on Jan. 6

At a joint Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, an array of intelligence and defense officials—including the commander of the Washington, D.C....

One party is trying to expand voting rights. One party is frantically trying to limit them

One of the central disagreements between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is coming into focus: voting rights. House Democrats...

Supreme Court takes up Trump admin. petition punishing Puerto Rico that Biden promised to end

The Supreme has decided to hear an appeal from the Department of Justice that would maintain the exclusion of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico from...

Republicans ponder delaying tactics to make America wait even longer to get COVID-19 relief

Senate Republicans are openly plotting how to make passing vital COVID-19 relief—which is still supported by 77% of all voters, including 59% of...

Democrats are in a dogfight to maintain Senate control. COVID-19 relief will give them a head start

As Senate Democrats prepare to pass President Biden's wildly popular COVID-19 rescue plan, the race for control of the upper chamber in next year's...

Jeff Sessions reemerges to claim he regrets separating families (he doesn't)

Former U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III refused to be interviewed for a Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general report...

Trump left gray wolves unprotected in Wisconsin, and hunters are now killing them by the hundreds

It took the Trump administration about a year to announce their plans to gut the Endangered Species Act. Trump’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...

Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday

C&J Annual Fundraiser: Day 3 Sorry to pull out the big persuasion gun, but this morning I feel it's necessary to play the country song card in the...

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Voter suppression and voting no on everything is a strategy

Perry Bacon, Jr./FiveThirtyEight: Why Republicans Don’t Fear An Electoral Backlash For Opposing Really Popular Parts Of Biden’s Agenda Put another...

Cartoon: See spot run

Alumni get vicious in emails to make sure Texas Longhorns cling to racist alma mater

Emails The Texas Tribune obtained show just how little wealthy alumni donors from the University of Texas at Austin care about Black people, even...

As Jan. 6 arrests mount, key role of two far-right militant networks in siege becomes unmistakable

The arrests and indictments in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are now up to 257 and counting. And as they continue to mount and the...

This week on The Brief: Mike Espy, turning Mississippi purple, the dangers of a third party

With Republicans eagerly looking to improve their electoral fortunes in 2022 and beyond, Democratic strategy for the net few election cycles...

The Supreme Court is ready to gut what's left of voting rights. How will Manchin and Sinema respond?

"What's the interest of the Arizona RNC in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct ballot disqualification rules on the books?" Justice Amy Coney Barrett...

Under Biden, early polling shows Americans' confidence in U.S. pandemic response is increasing

For the first time in nearly nine months, a national Harris tracking poll found that Americans' fears of contracting the coronavirus and dying...

House Democrats just passed the most important democracy reforms since the 1965 Voting Rights Act

On Wednesday, House Democrats voted 220-210 to pass H.R. 1, the “For the People Act,” which is the most important set of voting and election...

1 million Illinois students will receive $450 to help assist with food expenses amid COVID-19 crisis

Disparities across the country have increased amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In terms of food security, those who struggled with food access...

Carton: Bright future

Catholic archdiocese rules that 2 approved COVID-19 vaccines are OK—but not that third one!

Holy Mother of God, what foolishness is this? As reported by Ed Kilgore, writing for New York Magazine : In a ruling reminiscent of medieval...

Fox News asks Jen Psaki about President Biden's outrageous disregard for Dr. Seuss

Not sure where to slot this among the growing list of Fox News pseudo-scandals. Is this glaring omission worse than Barack Obama’s tan suit? That...

Arizona Republicans send a silent, clear message after lawmaker speaks at white nationalist event

Here’s today’s Republican Party in a nutshell: Arizona Republicans censured Cindy McCain for endorsing Joe Biden for president. When Rep. Paul...

Biden gives Senate 'moderate' Democrats a chance to sound off on $1.9 trillion relief plan

The Senate could kick off floor consideration of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan as soon as Wednesday, and not a moment too soon for the...

Biden administration brokers deal between two corporate competitors to vastly boost vaccine supply

The Biden White House has brokered a highly unusual deal among two would-be corporate competitors in an effort to substantially increase COVID-19...

Researchers have success repairing spinal cord injuries with patients' stem cells

Scientists working out of Yale University and Japan’s Sapporo Medical University have been able to successfully repair spinal cord injuries using...

These 16 House districts are the only ones that split their tickets for House and president in 2020

Daily Kos Elections recently finished calculating the results of the 2020 presidential election for all 435 congressional districts, and one major...

GOP lawmakers introduce bill to keep transgender girls out of girls sports starting in kindergarten

Another day, another piece of anti-trans legislation moving through our systems of government. This Tuesday, Republican lawmakers introduced a bill...

'Protests matter': Cities where BLM activists march see about 20% drop in cop killings

It’s difficult to gauge the success of any movement aimed at affecting widespread and systematic change. That’s especially true for the Black...

Republicans brazenly lie to cover their tracks from Jan. 6 insurrection because it actually works

The reason MAGA-loving Republicans lie so obviously and remorselessly is really pretty simple: It works. The two most brazen falsehoods they keep...

A teacher in Washington was investigated for being affiliated with the Proud Boys

Authorities are slowly coming down on members of the extremist organization Proud Boys . As investigations into the Capitol riots continue, members...

Trader Joe's employee says he was fired after pushing for COVID-19 safety measures

The novel coronavirus still exists and is deadly, despite the increasing number of Americans who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 nationwide....