This was a pretty wild exchange I had with Sen. Kennedy denying the reality of even Trump's own press secretary confirming the facts as my WaPo colleagues reported. The Trump WH dispute is merely over whether the 2nd strike was legal. Yet a GOP senator denied even that reality.

I’ve seen lotsa House speaker & Senate leader types with their own swag. Some of it quite sharp looking. I’ve never seen a House speaker wearing swag that was more heavily promoting the president than his own team brand. Photo from @notus.com

Meet the author who coined a 4-word rejoinder to MAGA that’s embraced by @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social “There’s something unifying when we are asked to do something together, and building a strong floor, no ceiling is just like that,” Oliver Libby tells me. He’s not a consultant or pollster. ….

Six-year-itch midterms are funky. There’s usually only a little change for presidents in the House - but the Senate turns into a massive dumpster fire. In 2006, Dems +6 included 4 states W had won twice; in ‘14 Rs +9 included 3 Obama ‘08 states. 2026? www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Why you should always, always read @pkcapitol.bsky.social capitol (I may be saying this a lot over the next year) -- It’s called the ‘six-year itch.’ Democrats hope it favors them for the Senate. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

"The brutality of Jamal’s murder, reported to be on orders of the Crown Prince … the extensive Saudi efforts to cover it up … and our government’s apparent willingness to accept these repeated lies … " - Fred Ryan, publisher of Washington Post, Jan. 10, 2019 1/ ....

The ultimate tribute to @pelosi.house.gov may be, more than 3 years after announcing she was leaving leadership, the same week she announced she’s retiring, the NRCC is still pumping out fundraising emails invoking her name. She wore the GOP hatred of her as a badge of honor. O

The internet version of @pelosi.house.gov is she was always a powerhouse icon. Not so. She spent 8 long years between passing ACA & flashing her shades at Trump. It was a formative time, a struggle that tested the caucus. And she became better as Speaker 2.0 www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Yup. A judge can swear @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social in to Congress. But Congress first has to vote to allow it to happen. Click thru hear and watch Grijalva explain it in a nice smart, concise video.

Broader media is picking up on a theme that JMart at Politico & me have been harping on for months: Trump doesn’t really do much aside from holding court (usually while sitting down) with WH press. JMart nails it here with Trump doing nothing on CA referendum: www.politico.com/news/magazin...

There’s been so much noise in House redistricting wars. My weekend column pulls back & looks at broad outlines via @cookpolitical.com & @rubashkin.bsky.social: Rs likely gain is 6-9 seats. If this is '20-'22-'24, that can help. But if '26 reverts to normal midterm, that’s lipstick on a pig ...

The strangest twist of No Kings rally, in build up inside the Capitol, is that Republicans can’t stop talking about it. For two straight weeks they’ve hyped it. Calling it the “Hate America rally”. Dems hardly mention it. Not sure what it will look like but Rs set high expectation of mass chaos.

Longtime R & D senators say this shutdown is unlike any other: “There’s less argument about things to fight about" and oddly "the least intensity about getting it resolved." Senate out till Tues night, House gone since Sept. 19. Nothing like fury of 2013/19. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Any time someone as high and mighty as a House speaker joins @cspanwj.bsky.social and takes calls, all I think of is “President Jimmy Carter” talking that kid down off a bad trip, telling him to listen to the Allmans. www.instagram.com/reel/DKxEcj8...

Don’t expect the shutdown to end soon with Dems caving. Not with polls like our WaPo version showing the public blames Trump and Rs for this by 17 points. 17! (Caveat: let’s see over next couple days what other polls show.) www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

Copy editing is so essential to what we do. For many, many weekend PKCap columns, I’ve been blessed to have Kathryn Wenner catching my mistakes. She retired yesterday, my column one of her last edits. It was my privilege. And yes, she fixed a few things. What a career. t.co/D8wxHj4Wb6

Epstein discharge petition still sits at 217, one shy of Magic Number, which begins to force vote. Johnson adjourned House until at least Oct 1 - motive might not be just CR/shutdown showdown. On Tuesday Grijalva will win her father’s seat in AZ special. He wants to delay signature No 218.

Weekend @PKCapitol column: The missing man from GOP’s sales pitch for their proclaimed Big Beautiful Bill: Donald Trump. Since signing bill July 4, Trump hasn’t traveled outside DC for event promoting the bill one time. Other presidents (including Trump 1.0 & Biden) did lots more. t.co/6ILZDMAhnN

For Rs, the call is coming from inside the house: One of most renowned GOP economists serves up sharp critiques of Trump econ policy every morning. And Friday's jobs report only confirmed his writing about the economy for months: "Dead in the water,” Doug Holtz-Eakin told me. t.co/yegylJbgSV

Any path Democrats have toward a durable Senate majority requires them to make Mississippi a swing state. Yes, Mississippi. Trump won there by almost 21%, but its population is 38% Black (with lower voter turnout). Maybe not 2026, but this is their starting point. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r_5...

Best lede you’ll read today, maybe all year. Via NYT obits: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/30/b...

My Sunday column: The diploma divide among voters has a new wrinkle. Almost all members of Congress attended college, but over last 50 years Rs have shunned Ivy/elite universities as Dems have slightly increased their tenure there. A fascinating project from 3 brilliant academics. t.co/tDMpCAKwRy

If a president can fire a Fed board member “for cause,” as determined by him, why couldn’t a president fire Supreme Court justices?

We haven’t seen a flood of real retirements in the House & all this redistricting might delay some of that, too, as members wait to see if they’ve still got a district they can win in. My weekend column. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

A really smart Sunday Nightcap column from @dcdufour.bsky.social about how Congressional Democrats have abandoned the Midwest & only pick leaders/chairs from the coasts.

Weekend column: McConnell & other R national security hawks feel momentum, after brutal winter/early spring left them reeling. They’re hoping to isolate nativists in Trump orbit. “Let’s hope the president continues to move in the direction he has,” McConnell told @mccaininstitute.bsky.social …

Just a wonderful obit about one of the OG investigative reporters at WashPost, Morton Mintz, who exposed corp greed in PhRMA and Big Auto. He retired 37 years ago! Lived to 103, both challenging entrenched powers & raising up smart bureaucrats who saved lives …. t.co/O5aRjdEhIl

Another reason to always read @pkcapitol.bsky.social -- Texas goes back to future with controversial congressional redistricting wapo.st/3UiJmgC

Texas Republicans successfully carried out mid-decade redistricting in 2004. Here's how it could play this time, via @pkcapitol.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

My weekend column: Back to future with Texas redistricting. The state that made mid-decade redistricting seem almost normal gives it another try. It’s raw politics, just like in 2003. “When you have the votes, you can do whatever you want,” former Rep. Frost tells me … …… Link

It doesn’t feel this way right now, given how much he dominates the scene and how Rs cower in total fear. But Trump’s base - those who most strongly approve of his performance - has never been smaller in his time as president, per CNN poll. Just 21% now, down from 34% in Jan 2020.

Some of the best writers every week come from our Letters to the Editor. Here’s a collection of lovely thoughts about dogs, particularly Fury, who knows how to steer his mommy out of troubled waters. We don’t deserve them. Dogs are better than us. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/int...

A couple pieces from this week on the Hill. First, my column focusing on how every new “trifecta” in Washington produces a mad rush for “big” or “bold” legislation. It rarely goes well with voters. “The one big bill got hard to understand.” ….. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

👀 Here's my running tracker of _EVERYTHING_ in the "One Big Beautiful Bill." The scores come from CBO and Joint Tax Committee. **The upshot** This would increase the national debt by at least $3.3 trillion over 10 years. This is an extension of my notes. Please forgive typos, if you see them.

The math is still living and breathing, but here's my running tracker of _EVERYTHING_ in the Senate bill. This is an extension of my notes, so pardon typos!

Don’t expect much of any Congressional efforts to rein in Trump (or any future president) on acts of war. Here’s a 20-plus-year look at how Congress has failed to meet its constitutional obligation on setting war policy. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

A great @joeheim.bsky.social joint here on House Republicans proposing to name things after Trump, even though not-at-all Trump * DC's subway (has Trump ever seen the red line?); * Dulles airport (he never flies commercial); * fed worker holiday; * $250 bill www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

I feel seen by @daveweigel.bsky.social … reality is, I check sent messages couple times a week now to see what I’ve actually sent.

A few thoughts on political violence & how Congress buries its head on its own vulnerability, for my weekend column: Last fall a couple retiring members started an uncomfortable talk: What if a madman changed House majority by shooting a few members? In today’s narrow margins, it's possible. ....

Senate today passed by unanimous consent (essentially 100-0) a resolution sending Google, Disney & streamers a message: They want their @c-span.bsky.social! They want it on cable, on YouTubeTV & Hulu, etc. My column last week about Big Tech's Big Blunder: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

One party has gone deep into a fight over age & generational issues, trying to nudge/shove aside elder statesmen. Other party keeps promoting late 70-/80-/90-somethings to positions of power, denying any health risks in a 79-yr-old president. It's not who you think it is ... My column ...

“Some folks are born silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, Lord? But when the taxman come to the door Lord, the house lookin' like a rummage sale, yeah It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no” Irony is dead

Big Tech managed to bungle its way into a fight with Rs and Ds in the Senate in an amazingly small way. They have refused to add C-SPAN to their streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu, etc. “Policymakers will not take kindly to unchecked selfishness.” www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Bluegrass Resistance? An unlikely trio (Massie, McConnell & Rand) emerge as GOP critics of Trump's agenda. On deficits, tariffs and national security. As KY has become 7th most Trumpian state & potential McConnell successors pretend to not know him. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

At a time when my news org & many others are targeting copy editors, a salute to those awesome colleagues who catch our mistakes and oftentimes write insanely great headlines like this one: A Streetcar named retire …

It’s really hard to explain how tiny $820,000 in Q1 revenue is. Boutique K Street shops with a handful or fewer partners make more. Trump must not read Truth Social himself. Or else oligarchs-crypto/techbros-pardon seekers would be dumping $5m-$10m into Truth ads. What a failure.

Senate currently voting to advance/confirm for French ambassador. He pleaded guilty to these federal crimes: * filing false taxes (16 counts); * retaliating against witness (1); * making false statements to federal investigators (1); Also: "... personally recruiting the prostitute ..." ... link

My weekend column explores recent history of “trifecta” majorities falling for “process trap.” Think of Dems in ‘21 fighting over when to pass BIF vs BBB. Or Senate Rs trying to pass shell bill repealing ACA in ‘17. Rs are falling into that trap again. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Just a brutal read for congressional Rs from …. Brendan Buck, one of Paul Ryan’s top aides, a Ways & Means vet, BoehnerLand and Romneyville. It’s the “smallness” of agenda that will cut deepest in HC5 & Mansfield. urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...