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

'Cracking heads': Trump, DOJ moves signal end of reforms after George Floyd movement

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

When George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer five blocks from her home, Nichole Subola visited the site of his death again and again, trying to wrap her mind around it. Police reform seemed within reach as she watched the global impact of the protests.
'We are putting America first': 5 takeaways from Trump's West Point commencement speech

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

Sporting a "Make America Great Again" hat, President Donald Trump emphasized the need for the country to put its priorities above all else during his commencement addresses at West Point on Saturday. "Gone are the days where defending every nation but our own was the primary thought," he aid. "We are putting America first.
Ben & Jerry's co-founder tossed from RFK Jr. hearing

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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'

4 weeks 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 month 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 month 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 month 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

1 month 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

1 month 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.