In this week's edition of Psaki Bombs!, Jen Psaki marvels at the sheer cringiness of Vivek Ramaswami trying to record a tough guy campaign ad in a batting cage with the skill of someone who does not appear to know how to swing a bat. Also Jeanine Pirro is learning the hard way what it means to sacrifice for Donald Trump, endorsements in this year's midterms are marked by family betrayal, Tetris drops a brick on Trump's weird copycat games and Jen reflects on toxicity, legacy and September 11th. MS NOW Members: Chat live with Jen Psaki every Friday at Noon ET. https://www.ms.now/membership
Politicians have long made it hard to trust their words. Now, AI -generated campaign ads flooding the airwaves and social media are making it harder to trust your own eyes and ears. Why it matters: Americans' trust in politicians and institutions has been tanking in recent years — and AI campaign ads could deepen that erosion, political tech experts say. What they're saying: "I think that it is true that Americans are losing faith in elite institutions to tell them what is true and what is not, and AI exacerbates that trend," Nate Persily, co-director of the Stanford Law AI Initiative, tells Axios. - "The more artificial media that we consume, the less likely that people will be able to discern what is true from what is false, and…
Democratic strategist Amber Lee, who worked for Dan J. Sullivan's campaign while sitting on the board of the left-leaning 907 Initiative, which is a government transparency group that spent approximately $1.5 million on ads attacking the incumbent, according to a complaint filed with Federal Election Commission.
Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super-PAC has pumped $10 million into the Texas Senate race to support Ken Paxton and target Democrat James Talarico, as Republicans face a showdown for a seat they’ve held for decades. The Republican establishment is treating the Texas Senate contest as a must-win, as Federal Election Commission filings published Saturday revealed […] The post Trump’s MAGA Inc. deploys $10 million in Texas Senate fight to boost Paxton against Talarico appeared first on American Almanac .
Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super-PAC has pumped $10 million into the Texas Senate race to support Ken Paxton and target Democrat James Talarico, as Republicans face a showdown for a seat they’ve held for decades. The Republican establishment is treating the Texas Senate contest as a must-win, as Federal Election Commission filings published Saturday revealed that MAGA Inc., the super-PAC aligned with President Trump, made a $10 million payment for political ads split evenly between backing Paxton and opposing Talarico. The payment, routed through political ad firm Del Ray Media, marks MAGA Inc.’s first major investment in a 2026 general-election race and comes as polls show Democrat Talarico with a narrow lead over Paxton. Election…Open
Republican groups had asked the court to clear the way for political parties to pay the same low-cost ad rates as candidates, a move that could undercut a Democratic advantage in the midterms.
After the sealed Hope Florida presentment leaked this week to CBS News Miami, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s primary focus was not the $10 million from a settlement with Medicaid contractor Centene for overbilling Florida’s Healthy Kids program, which insures low-income children. It was publicly labeling the grand jury’s findings a “hoax” and a lie. That is […] The post $10 Million Stolen in Plain Sight: Relabeled, Rerouted, Then Denied appeared first on StoneZone .
After the sealed Hope Florida presentment leaked this week to CBS News Miami , Gov. Ron DeSantis’s primary focus was not the $10 million from a settlement with Medicaid contractor Centene for overbilling Florida’s Healthy Kids program, which insures low-income children. It was publicly labeling the grand jury’s findings a “hoax” and a lie. That is not the response of a governor absorbing a report about taxpayer money. It is the response of a man protecting the people he promoted. The money moved. Then they were appointed to higher office. There was, he said, no diversion of Medicaid funds. The only crime “was whoever leaked the grand jury report,” and there would be “consequences.” Attorney General James Uthmeier…Open
National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local TV stations to respond in opposite ways to a new federal court ruling on political ad rates, Axios has learned. Why it matters: How they respond will have a major impact on the fight for control of Congress by deciding which party's ad money goes further in the final stretch of the 2026 midterms . - The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals this week overturned an FCC rule extending discounted ad rates for individual congressional campaigns to political parties and super PACs. - In other words: The court ruled that outside groups still have to fork over multiple times what the actual candidates pay to run political ads. - Democrats tend to do their strongest fundraising at the candidate…
Democratic Texas Gov. candidate Gina Hinojosa reacted this weekend to Gov. Greg Abbott announcing he's auditing data centers in Texas despite his past support of those centers.
