Welcome to What the Media Missed, the place we dig into the various examples of legacy media malpractice that disgraced the nation’s entrance pages this week—whereas highlighting how Day by day Kos goes previous the spin to uncover the true horror tales of our new Trump period.
Elon Buys the GOP
Tesla CEO and shadow President Elon Musk already owns a lot of the Republican Get together. This week, he moved to purchase what little remained within the type of a rumored $100 million “donation” to President Donald Trump’s political operation. However whereas mainstream media shops reported on Musk’s unprecedented present to his alleged boss, solely Day by day Kos dug into precisely what Musk could be shopping for with all that money.
When Trump turned the White Home garden into the world’s tackiest Tesla industrial, Markos Moulitsas reported that “Trump’s pathetic Tesla stunt proves he’s chosen billionaires over his base.” The occasion was Trump at his infomercial greatest, however even Fox Information remarked on how misplaced his advertising stunt felt amid an ongoing inventory market meltdown. That is simply actual life now, of us.
Musk has a very good motive to purchase his solution to security: As Day by day Kos reported on Wednesday, Musk’s much-hyped cuts from his so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity haven’t decreased federal spending. The truth is, whole authorities spending is up, main some White Home insiders (particularly an irate Secretary of State Marco Rubio) to name for Musk’s quick humbling. Fats likelihood when Musk is on monitor to change into the only largest donor in Republican Get together historical past. Because it seems, being an almost bottomless supply of ethics-free financing makes you a reasonably untouchable pressure in right-wing politics.
For now, Musk’s fats pockets can nonetheless purchase him a spot on the resolution desk. However with federal courts overturning his mass firings and Cupboard secretaries bristling below his bumbling mismanagement, Musk’s cash is now not a assure that anybody within the White Home can be listening endlessly. As Musk’s star dims, Trump’s calls for for money will solely enhance—an not possible ransom, even for the richest man on this planet.
Schumered
On Wednesday, Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer boldly predicted that Senate Republicans lacked the votes to move their rotten government-funding package deal. As skilled Schumer watchers know, that type of confidence is sort of all the time adopted by a betrayal of Democrats’ place. And simply someday later, Schumer lived as much as voters’ lowest expectations.
As an alternative of utilizing Republican dysfunction to showcase their incompetence to the American individuals, Schumer introduced he would abruptly cease combating and assist Republicans’ nightmare invoice. That announcement did extra than simply sow confusion amongst Schumer’s Senate colleagues—it as soon as once more reminded voters that even Democratic lawmakers don’t appear to know what they consider. And it gave 9 different members of the Democratic caucus permission to hitch him in voting to finish debate on Friday, together with two senators who’re retiring.
Day by day Kos known as it what it was, quoting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York: “outrage and betrayal.” Schumer’s clockwork caving to GOP stress despatched a wave of fury by the occasion as rank-and-file Democrats realized they have been on the verge of surrendering one more pivotal legislative battle to Trump and his MAGA cronies. Progressive Democrats, together with Ocasio-Cortez, blasted Schumer’s gambit as “dangerous” and cited his spinelessness for example of why Democratic voters are dropping religion of their occasion.
It’s exhausting to argue with that bleak prognosis. As soon as once more, Schumer’s sclerotic management has led Democrats right into a lure that makes them appear to be weak-willed rubes. If Democrats can’t deal with their id disaster, they might lose their likelihood to retake a chamber of Congress within the 2026 midterm elections, and the nation can’t afford that type of worst-case situation.
Democrats (Slowly) Fill the Void
The Beltway media went ballistic in early March, after Nationwide Republican Marketing campaign Committee Chair Richard Hudson directed his Home GOP colleagues to cancel upcoming city halls in an effort to keep away from the ire of voters livid about commerce wars and rising costs. However most shops missed the information out of Minnesota, the place Gov. Tim Walz supplied to attend city halls in districts the place Republican lawmakers had bailed.
“If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will. Hell, maybe I will,” Walz posted on X. “If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em.”
As Day by day Kos reported this week, Walz introduced his first city corridor stops in Iowa’s third District, represented by Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, and Nebraska’s 2nd District, the place Republican Rep. Don Bacon barely received reelection final yr. Walz joins Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as the primary Democrats to fill the void left by Republican lawmakers. Which begs the query—the place the heck is everybody else?
It’s no shock Republicans need to keep away from their voters. Throughout the nation, the GOP is now dealing with its most sustained unpopularity in years. Fifty-seven % of voters, in addition to a 3rd of Republicans, now say Trump’s management is “too erratic” and Republican insurance policies are hurting the financial system. All that chaos is hopefully persuading exhausted Individuals that it’s time to right their electoral errors, beginning with ousting the GOP’s dysfunctional Home majority in 2026. Touring town-hall excursions are a good way to begin.
Headline Watch
Good factor there’s no darkish historic precedent for a fascist chief deciding who’s and isn’t Jewish …
