Josh Harder

The House GOP's campaign committee is taking aim at congressional Democrats for voting against a measure to fund the federal government through Sept. 30.

Once upon a time, the conservative position on economics was easy to describe: It was in favor of free markets.

Political scientist M. Steven Fish explains that otherwise Trump is "going to seem like a boss"

The Board of Pardons reopened the case after opposition from the victim’s family arrived two months after its first vote.

Aging officials in Philadelphia took months to get Luen Ng help before she was killed. She’s one of 1,511 older adults who died in the state in 2023 with open abuse and neglect investigations.

Welcome to What the Media Missed, where we dig into the many examples of legacy media malpractice that disgraced the nation’s front pages this week—while highlighting how Daily Kos goes past the spin to uncover the real horror stories of our new Trump era.Medicaid in dangerAsk Donald Trump his position on Medicaid and he’ll swear up and down that Republicans won’t lay a finger on the program, which covers over 66 million Americans. Legacy media outlets have largely given Trump the benefit of the doubt—an odd choice given the president’s tendency to just make shit up.Despite his pledge to “love and cherish” Medicaid dominating the headlines, Trump this week backed a House GOP spending plan that would enact sweeping cuts to the health insurance program. Daily Kos dug into what those cuts mean for elderly and low-income Americans, including benefit cuts so extreme that many states will have no choice but to force currently insured seniors out of the program. Meanwhile, the top 1% of American earners would reap the benefits, in the form of a tax cut. Trump must be breathing a sigh of relief over all the soft headlines he and Speaker Mike Johnson are getting, because a new Associated Press-NORC poll found that cutting Medicaid remains one of the most unpopular ideas in America. Roughly 70% of respondents said the government should either preserve or expand Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, while majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents all said protecting those programs should be a priority. Johnson and House Republicans cross those voters at their own peril.Trump’s embrace of hardline Medicaid cuts may make things harder for him in the Senate, after Trump ally and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley openly broke with the president to condemn the idea of gutting the program. Capitol Hill is headed for another entitlement crisis. It couldn’t happen to more deserving scumbags.Ukraine fumbleSpeaking of squishy headlines, the continued institutional surrender of the American media continued this week with a flood of headlines intended to put a normalizing spin on Trump’s most legally outrageous actions. That was especially true of Trump’s stunning decision to align the United States with Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine, a baffling and sudden strategic realignment without parallel in American history.Even international media outlets got in on the minimization. The BBC described Trump as “very frustrated” that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declined a deal that would award half of his nation’s lithium and titanium to American companies. In fact, this was no “deal”—it was an attempt by Trump to use Ukraine’s war weariness to rob the country blind. What did Republican leaders have to say about Trump’s outrageous and potentially criminal quid pro quo offer? Who knows! Outlets like The New York Times treated the silence of GOP lawmakers as standard operating procedure instead of a shameful dereliction of duty.As it turns out, it wasn’t that hard to find Republicans who were frustrated and even furious at Trump’s decision to betray one of the GOP’s core foreign policy principles. Daily Kos found examples from lawmakers including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska ,and Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, among plenty of others. The criticism was there the entire time—the legacy media just didn’t bother trying to find it. The sanewashing of Steve BannonLegacy media’s love of conflict was on full display this week when crackpot anti-government podcaster Steve Bannon blasted Elon Musk as a “parasitic illegal immigrant” trying to “play-act as God.” The Times eagerly took Bannon’s bait, framing the feud as a battle between the chaotic Musk and the principled, cost-cutting conservative Bannon.Back in reality, Daily Kos saw the Bannon-Musk feud for what it really was, noting that “Steve Bannon totally isn’t jealous of Elon Musk.” The piece offered some psychoanalysis that the legacy media missed—including the growing realization among stalwart MAGA loyalists like Bannon that tech billionaires like Musk have displaced many of Trump’s earliest acolytes. It doesn’t help matters that Bannon, a repeat federal felon who pleaded guilty last week to yet another fraud case, is now too politically toxic even for Trump. Bannon’s indignation over Musk’s misbehavior isn’t a matter of principle—it’s the frustrated rage of a man who’s realized too late that he’s been pushed to the side. That must come as an especially bitter pill for Bannon, who played a lead role in connecting Trump’s MAGA movement with the tech billionaires who are now poised to take it over. In the end, Bannon was iced out of power for breaking his own cardinal rule: Never look for honor among thieves.Headline Watch with Oliver WillisOh (no), Canada ...xThe New York Times is the problem. Look at this dumb shit in this dumb paper. (Peter Baker, of course)— Oliver Willis (@owillis.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T12:04:36.721ZCampaign Action

The rules prevent a health system from pushing dismissed doctors out of town and keeping patients in the dark, but critics say it's still too narrow.

The internet is a Wild West of AI fakes. Even Zoomers like me need education.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to seek more money for public schools and public transit when he delivers his third budget proposal to lawmakers Tuesday. Shapiro is also expected to reprise his support for legalizing marijuana and introducing taxes on skill games viewed as competitors to casinos and lottery contests.Shapiro’s budget proposal could approach $50 billion for the 2025-26 fiscal year beginning July 1. He was scheduled to address a joint session of the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. in the House of Representatives as he delivered the document to lawmakers.Passage will require approval from Pennsylvania’s Democratic-controlled House and its Republican-controlled Senate.Shapiro is under pressure from education allies and Democratic lawmakers to marshal billions more for schools in response to a court decision that found Pennsylvania’s system of public school funding violates the constitutional rights of students in the poorest districts.Shapiro’s budget delivered a substantial increase for schools this year, while lawyers for the schools that sued the state are asking for a $1.3 billion increase for the next fiscal cycle, or almost 13% more.Shapiro also has said he’ll seek tax breaks to subsidize the cost of building new power plants and more money for rural health care services. He also is expected to make another pitch to legalize marijuana to skeptical Republican lawmakers.Meanwhile, Shapiro has been adamant about preventing cutbacks by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Philadelphia region’s public transit agency struggling to regain ridership lost during the pandemic. Republicans resisted giving Shapiro his full request last year, prompting him to divert one-time federal highway funds to stave off near-term service cutbacks and fare increases. One Shapiro-backed idea to pay for it is taxing the skill games that are popular in bars, convenience stores, pizzerias and standalone parlors around the state.Shapiro is up against numerous pressures. These include entreaties to boost pay for workers who care for older adults and disabled people while also navigating growing deficit projections, a slow-growing economy and a shrinking workforce.Counties say the mental health services network they administer is on the verge of collapse and nursing home operators say they’re getting rid of beds because they can’t afford to staff them. Meanwhile, home care providers say it’s getting harder to find and keep workers, making it harder for people who need their services to receive them.Shapiro does have a cushion of about $10.5 billion in reserve, thanks to federal COVID-19 relief and inflation-juiced tax collections over the past few years.However, this year’s $47.6 billion spending plan required about $3 billion of surplus cash to balance, eliciting warnings from Republicans that the state must slow the pace of spending or risk depleting its surplus within several years.The state is projected to bring in less than $47 billion in tax collections in the 2025-26 fiscal year — likely well below what Shapiro will propose in spending, especially after the state issues refunds.___Follow Marc Levy on X at: https://x.com/timelywriterSign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to seek more money for public schools and public transit when he delivers his third budget proposal to lawmakers

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, seen at a hearing last month, ended the fourth quarter with $1.5 million in her campaign coffers.

Gov. Josh Shapiro will deliver his third budget proposal to lawmakers next week, a plan that’s expected to seek substantially more aid for the poorest public schools, emphasize frugality and push for more aid to public transit and legalize marijuana.

Democratic Reps. Don Davis, left, and Jared Golden, here in the Cannon House Office Building tunnel in April 2024, represent districts won by Donald Trump. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Mike Parson, whose term as Missouri governor ends on Jan. 13, says he’s left his successor “a really good foundation to build on.”

ATLANTA — Georgia farmers have had a rough go for the past few years. They were just recovering from 2018′s Hurricane Michael when Hurricane Helene hit in September, damaging thousands of acres of crops throughout the state. That’s on top of financial devastation left in the storm’s path, which can severely stress their mental health. “Fertilizer, fuel, labor, anything that’s farm related — ...

Jayden Daniels was not worried when he and the Washington Commanders trailed the Philadelphia Eagles by 14 points after just seven minutes, and the rookie quarterback was similarly undaunted staring down a 13-point deficit going into the fourth quarter, long after Jalen Hurts was sidelined with a concussion.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, said Congress should not be “sneaking new member perks into must-pass legislation.”

Pennsylvania’s governor traveled extensively as a Democratic surrogate in 2024, spending money on consultants, private flights, ritzy hotels, and more.

North Carolina legislative Republicans are closing in on enacting a measure that would erode powers of the incoming governor and other statewide Democratic officials who got elected last month

Dental insurance should be a support system for patients — not a source of frustration, confusion and financial risk, says Tulsa dentist Larry A. Smith.

Sports dominate American culture. Stadiums dot our city skylines and the games are among the top shows on TV. Republicans should embrace this competitive culture of success.

Trump’s campaign promises included mass deportations of people in the country illegally, and his history includes rolling back environmental regulations and setting the stage for state abortion bans.

Republicans need to win just two out of the 12 remaining undecided races to secure a majority in the House of Representatives.

There are 23 races in the U.S. House of Representatives that still being counted; 10 of which are in California.

Control of the House has yet to be determined, as a number of critical races remain too close to call, leaving lawmakers — and voters — waiting to see which party will hold the majority next year. The sprint to 218 seats, however, is nearing the final stretch, after a handful of additional races were called [...]

Voters in New York City’s suburbs could play an outsized role in determining control of the U.S. House as Republicans cling to seats they won two years ago by seizing on fears of crime and Democrats try to claw them back by warning that a right-wing Co...

'These twelve are the most important to watch on Election Day'

The giveaway is raising questions and alarms among some election experts. Here's a closer look at what's going on.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are embracing wildly different strategies to energize the coalitions they need to win as the campaigns enter their final sprint

Elon Musk is pledging to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution. The giveaway by the Donald Trump supporter is raising questions and alarms among some election experts who...

Voters in a ring of congressional districts encircling New York City where Republican candidates often do well but Donald Trump struggled in 2020 could decide which party controls the U.S. House for the next two years

In 2020, Erie County, Pa., voted for President Joe Biden by just 1 percent, with its independent voting bloc likely to determine election results.

The Associated Press Elections Top 25 aims to help make sense of it all by providing a list of the Top 25 people, places, races, dates and things to know about Election Day.

Americans will cast roughly 160 million ballots by the time Election Day comes to a close — in several different ways, including many cast a few weeks before polls even open. They will choose a president, members of Congress and...

Races for Congress, the California Legislature, city and county panels and school boards all will be seen on ballots in November.

In the Big Ten opener against Illinois, Penn State displayed a defense that can dominate but also lacked discipline in key moments

(Inside California Politics) -- Congressman Josh Harder, D-Tracy, joined Inside California Politics co-host Frank Buckley to discuss his push for the suspension of the Federal and State gas tax, as well as the impact Vice President Kamala Harris could have for his reelection campaign.

Cross country book tour begins next week including stops at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library (with Martin Luther King III), Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College (with NYC Council Member Chi Ossé), and more NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Philanthropist...

A banner promoting the white nationalist group was draped over a bridge over Salem Parkway in downtown Winston-Salem and removed by transportation officials.

A national finance committee member for the Harris-Walz campaign posted a question whether former President Donald Trump is working with Israel and Russia to boost election efforts.

Vice President Harris is trouncing former President Trump among young voters in the latest polls, a promising sign as her campaign courts the demographic that’s been energized online by coconut tree memes and jokes that the Democratic nominee is “brat.” A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Thursday found young people swung a massive 24 points between June and August, from favoring [...]

'This is wild'

CHICAGO — Over and over, from the massive stage in the electric convention hall, the Democrats this week predicted Kamala Harris would defeat Donald Trump. They described her as a historic figure, the embodiment of hope, “the president of joy.” But amid the extraordinary optimism, former first lady Michelle Obama offered a sober warning: “No [...]The post The ‘Joyful’ Democratic Convention Is Over. The Real Test for Kamala Harris’ Campaign Now Begins appeared first on GV Wire.

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump is changing his tune on Georgia’s Republican governor after delivering a series of blistering attacks at a rally just weeks ago.

Over and over, the Democrats gathered at their national convention predicted Kamala Harris would defeat Donald Trump. But a stark reality exists as thousands of Democratic activists, operatives and party leaders begin leaving Chicago: The real test for Harris has...

Donald Trump is changing his tune on Georgia’s Republican governor after delivering a series of blistering attacks at a rally just weeks ago. In a social media post, Trump thanked Gov. Brian Kemp for his help and support in Georgia....

A narrow majority for either party could also decide national policy on other vital issues, but those are among the most prominent.

'Help to get across the finish line'