Phillip M. Bailey

Louisville

Chief Political Correspondent at USA Today

Writer. Acerbic. Reporter. Radical. Editor. Truculent. Thinker. Incisive. Citizen. Cynic. Agnostic. Militant. Black Man. Free. Pulitzer + Peabody. Winner.

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Articles

Ben & Jerry's co-founder tossed from RFK Jr. hearing

2 days ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen was among the roughly half-dozen people yanked out of a May 14 Senate hearing for protesting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. Within minutes of Kennedy's testimony, five people in the audience rose from their seats and began charging towards the front of the room near the member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet. "RFK kills people with AIDS," the group chanted.
Pope Leo XIV's voting history sparks speculation

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

The first American pope in history voted in several U.S. elections out of his home state of Illinois, according to records obtained by USA TODAY on Friday, including an absentee ballot cast in last year's hotly contested presidential election. Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, has participated in seven separate contests since 2012, including three Republican primaries while living in Will County, a suburb just southwest of the Windy City.
'Worst 100 days': Joe Biden defends legacy, attacks Donald Trump on 'The View'

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

Former President Joe Biden rebuffed criticism that he waited too long to drop out of the 2024 campaign in a special live interview Thursday on "The View" and maintains he would have defeated President Donald Trump in a rematch last fall. Biden was peppered with several questions about his decision-making in the final months of his term, his relationship with major party leaders and if he takes responsibility for Trump's decisive victory in November.
President Trump mocks Barack Obama's presidential library

1 week ago | azcentral.com | Phillip M. Bailey

Donald Trump and Barack Obama continue to throw shade at each other, this time with the president taking jabs over his predecessor's unfinished and long-awaited library and museum. During the Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on May 6, Trump, a longtime New York real estate mogul, was discussing the difficulties of construction and took a detour rip on his reported troubles with the project.
President Trump mocks Barack Obama's presidential library

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

Donald Trump and Barack Obama continue to throw shade at each other, this time with the president taking jabs over his predecessor's unfinished and long-awaited library and museum. During the Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on May 6, Trump, a longtime New York real estate mogul, was discussing the difficulties of construction and took a detour rip on his reported troubles with the project.
Trump thinks ESPN's Stephen A. Smith should run for president. Dem voters aren't so sure.

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

General Hospital isn't typically a place Americans might get a glimpse of a future presidential candidate, but that happened this week when ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith made a surprise return to the long-running drama. In it, Smith plays a man named "Brick" who walks into a hospital room confronting an assassin, posing as a nurse, about to inject poison in a mob boss.
Donald Trump would 'love to see' Stephen A. Smith run for president

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

Donald Trump stirred the 2028 pot again this week, saying he would "love to see" ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith make a bid for the White House. The president made the comment after calling in to a NewsNation town hall on April 30 during which participants asked him a myriad of questions about his first 100 days back in office. "I love watching him. He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him," Trump told the panelists, which included Smith.
'Worldwide ministry': T.D. Jakes retirement marks end of era for presidential counselor

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey |Jay Stahl

After roughly three decades as one of most prominent faces of American faith, Bishop T.D. Jakes is leaving his leadership position months after a health scare and amid larger legal battles. The 67-year-old megachurch pastor announced Sunday he was retiring as senior pastor of Potter's House, a non-denominational Pentecostal megachurch in Dallas, Texas, which has grown into a political and cultural powerhouse.
DNC chair defends rule changes to force David Hogg's hand on challenging incumbents

3 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is proposing rule changes that would, among other things, require party officers to remain neutral in primary elections amid a movement being led by younger progressives to catapult “asleep-at-the-wheel" incumbents out of office. "No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger," Martin said Thursday during a conference call.
Poll: Kamala Harris leading in California governor's race but voters split on her running

4 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Phillip M. Bailey

If Kamala Harris does pull the trigger on running for governor of California later this year she'd be the top contender, a new poll finds. An Emerson College survey released Thursday shows 31% of Golden State voters who plan to cast a ballot in the June 2026 primary would support the former vice president over a wide-ranging field. But California voters are evenly split on whether the 60-year-old Democrat, who lost last year's pivotal presidential race, should enter the race.