by Steve Benen | Feb 17, 2026 | Maddowblog, Politics
With just a couple of weeks remaining before Texas’ closely watched Democratic U.S. Senate primary, there’s considerable interest in state Rep. James Talarico, one of the leading contenders. With this in mind, the candidate was scheduled to be on CBS’ “The Late Show” on Monday for an interview with Stephen Colbert, which likely would’ve been interesting and newsworthy.
Except, those tuning in to see the interview were left wanting. Colbert told his audience, referring to Talarico, “He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast.”
The host went on to note that the network that employs him suggested he wasn’t supposed to talk about the apparent fact that it told him not to have Talarico on the show — which, naturally, led Colbert to talk about it at some length and in considerable detail.
The host, whose award-winning show will end in May, told viewers about the Federal Communications Commission and its newfound interest in an old policy called the “equal-time rule,” which has never applied to news interviews and talk-show programs.
As MS NOW reported about a month ago, however, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested a shift in the policy, declaring that shows hosting political candidates will not automatically qualify as “bona fide news” programs, which are exempt from the equal-time requirements.
And so, Colbert lowered the boom:
Let’s just call this what it is: Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV, OK? He’s like a toddler with
by Mark Greenblatt | Feb 16, 2026 | Opinion, Politics
Because President Donald Trump administration’s immediately responded to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by demonizing them and defending the immigration officers who shot them dead, it seems a safe bet the Justice Department won’t fully investigate or seriously consider pursuing criminal charges in either shooting. Consequently, there’s a pervasive sinking feeling that there’ll never be a resolution and that the two Minneapolis shootings will remain a festering wound. Each side has put forward its preferred narrative, and while one subset of Americans wouldn’t trust an inquiry by the Republicans who control the federal government, another subset wouldn’t trust an inquiry led by Minnesota Democrats.
What America needs is something similar to the 9/11 Commission.
What America needs, then, is something similar to the 9/11 Commission: an independent, nonpartisan national commission created by Congress and empowered to investigate the facts surrounding these shootings and the broader circumstances that allowed them to occur. Such a commission should be led by respected, nonpartisan professionals, perhaps former judges or inspectors general, who are chosen for their professional integrity and independence, not political affiliation and can be expected to gather the facts in a fair and objective manner. With the appointment of such commissioners and a mandate that the process be transparent, Congress could help instill confidence in the fairness of the outcome.
As was the case with the 9/11 Commission, the goal of this commission wouldn’t be a mere determination of what happened in two tragic encounters but insight into what happened before the tragedies. In this case, we would expect such a commission to give its attention to the systemic practices — including federal use-of-force rules, coordination (or lack thereof) with local authorities, body-worn camera usage
by Dr. Omer Awan | Feb 14, 2026 | Opinion, Politics
Celebrated actor James Van Der Beek, the heartthrob who starred in the 1990s series “Dawson’s Creek,” lost his life to colorectal cancer on Wednesday at the distressingly young age of 48. Van Der Beek’s death serves as a reminder of the alarming trend of early-onset colorectal cancer, which has become the leading cause of cancer death in adults younger than 50. But even more, the launch of a GoFundMe campaign to assist his family with his medical bills is a poignant indictment of the U.S. health care system and the punishing toll it exacts on families dealing with medical crises.
The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds. They are working hard to stay in their home.”Friends of Kimberly van der beek
“Throughout his illness, the family faced not only emotional challenges but also significant financial strain as they did everything possible to support James and provide for his care,” said friends of his widow, Kimberly Van Der Beek, in a statement on GoFundMe. “In the wake of this loss, Kimberly and the children are facing an uncertain future. The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds. They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time.”
The average American has every right to be disturbed at learning about the fundraiser, and to ask: If a successful Hollywood actor’s family can be left in dire straits after a major medical fight, then what hope
by Steve Benen | Feb 13, 2026 | Maddowblog, Politics
In mid-December, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was “escalating” his crusade against Sen. Mark Kelly, launching an “official Command Investigation” into the Arizona Democrat. It was, as The Washington Post noted soon after, an “unprecedented use of the military justice system to investigate a political adversary.”
A month later, the abuse became even more serious: The beleaguered Pentagon chief issued a “letter of censure” to the decorated Navy veteran, calling it a first step toward a demotion and a decrease in pension.
Seven days later, Kelly pushed back in court, filing a lawsuit against Hegseth, arguing that the Cabinet secretary’s crusade violates the senator’s First Amendment rights and the speech and debate clause of the Constitution, which protects lawmakers from prosecution for official acts.
The defense secretary soon publicly taunted the Arizonan, publishing an item to social media in which Hegseth called Kelly “cranky,” and adding: “‘Captain’ Kelly knows exactly what he did, and that he will be held to account.”
If the former Fox News host had his hopes up, he has reason to be disappointed. MS NOW reported:
A federal judge temporarily blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday from censuring Sen. Mark Kelly or reducing his military pension over a video reminding troops to ‘refuse illegal orders.’
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s preliminary injunction prevents Hegseth from taking those actions or reducing Kelly’s rank as a retired Navy captain.
“Secretary Hegseth relies on the well-established doctrine that military servicemembers enjoy less vigorous First Amendment protections given the fundamental obligation for obedience and discipline in the armed forces,” the George W. Bush-appointed jurist wrote in his 29-page opinion.
“Unfortunately for Secretary Hegseth, no
by Eli Thompson | Feb 12, 2026 | Opinion, Politics
When Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk last year after she wrote an op-ed for that campus’ newspaper that criticized Tufts’ response to Israel’s war in Gaza, the government wasn’t just attacking one student on one campus in Massachusetts.
The unwarranted arrest and threatened deportation of Öztürk, a Fulbright scholar in the U.S. on a student visa, was the government’s warning to students across the country — especially student journalists — that it doesn’t care about our First Amendment rights. After all, Öztürk had done something unremarkable: expressed her political opinion in a student publication.
Ozturk had done something unremarkable: expressed her political opinion in a student publication.
Though Öztürk’s lawyers say her deportation proceedings were ended this week by a judge who’s allowing her to stay in the country, the threat on students and student journalism remains. Sometimes that threat comes from the federal government directly, sometimes from university officials who say they’re following the federal government directly and sometimes from university officials whose reasoning is hard to follow.
Last week, Jerome Richardson, a 21-year-old Temple University journalism student, turned himself in to federal authorities after they accused him of participating in a “coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.” Richardson, who is from St. Paul, has acknowledged he assisted veteran journalist Don Lemon “by helping with logistics and connecting him with local contacts” as Lemon and other journalists covered a group of activists who interrupted a church service in that city last month and called out one of the church’s pastors as a local leader of ICE.
At the end of last year, the University of
by Steve Benen | Feb 12, 2026 | Maddowblog, Politics
A couple of years ago, House Speaker Mike Johnson made a pilgrimage of sorts to Mar-a-Lago to kiss Donald Trump’s ring and hold a joint news conference with the then-former president. It was not, however, a simple photo-op: The Republicans unveiled a proposal they appeared to be rather proud of.
The GOP duo pitched legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The absurdity of watching two notorious election deniers pretend to be deeply concerned with the integrity of elections was a detail the political world was apparently supposed to overlook.
Soon after, House Republicans followed through, introducing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, a version of which passed the GOP-led chamber last year.
In time, however, Trump and his party decided their own plan wasn’t quite far enough to the right. So they overhauled it, made it worse and gave it a new name: the SAVE America Act.
Trump doesn’t have much of a legislative agenda, but he insisted that House Republicans pass this bill. And as is too often the case, GOP lawmakers did as the White House instructed.
The final vote was 218-213, with Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas being the only Democrat to vote for passage.
The original SAVE Act was an indefensible step backward, and the revised version is worse:
All Americans would be required to prove their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
Voters would be required under federal law to present identification when casting ballots in person or by mail, even in states that do not have voter ID laws.
Republicans are eyeing new restrictions on Americans who want to vote by mail.
The proposal is
