Steve Benen

Vermont

Rachel Maddow Show producer, editor of The MaddowBlog, and author of Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past

Articles

After a hint of independence, the FBI’s Kash Patel falls back in line with Trump’s agenda

3 days ago | businessandamerica.com | Steve Benen

FBI Director Kash Patel was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, and he did what others in his position have done many times: He asked for more money. In fact, testifying before a House appropriations panel, the highly controversial director of the bureau told lawmakers the FBI needed “more than what has been proposed” in the White House’s budget plan. The comments raised eyebrows a bit.
Why did Trump fire Carla Hayden, the celebrated Librarian of Congress?

3 days ago | businessandamerica.com | Steve Benen

UPDATE (May 9, 2025, 6:50 p.m. ET): Asked about Carla Hayden’s firing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday: “There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.
‘We are actively looking at’ suspending habeas corpus

4 days ago | businessandamerica.com | Steve Benen

In recent months, the radicalism of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda has come into focus, leaving many to wonder just how much further the Republican White House is prepared to go. It was against this backdrop that CNBC reported:White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said Friday that the Trump administration is ‘actively looking at’ suspending habeas corpus, the right to challenge the legality of a person’s detention by the government.
Friday’s Mini-Report, 5.9.25

5 days ago | msnbc.com | Steve Benen

* The obvious call: “A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately release Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk from custody, after finding scant evidence from the federal government to justify her detention.
White House’s Stephen Miller: ‘We are actively looking at’ suspending habeas corpus

5 days ago | msnbc.com | Steve Benen

In recent months, the radicalism of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda has come into focus, leaving many to wonder just how much further the Republican White House is prepared to go. It was against this backdrop that CNBC reported:“The Constitution is clear — and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in time of invasion,” the presidential adviser said.
Pete Hegseth’s ‘warrior ethos’ is increasingly focused on banning books

5 days ago | msnbc.com | Steve Benen

The New York Times reported this week about the ongoing challenges at West Point, as the U.S. Military Academy struggles to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s culture war agenda.
Pete Hegseth’s ‘warrior ethos’ is increasingly focused on banning books

5 days ago | flipboard.com | Steve Benen

9 hours agoFederal and Virginia state officials are preparing to receive about 60 White South Africans at Dulles International Airport next week, government documents and emails show. Months after the Trump administration ground U.S. refugee admissions to a halt, suspending a program that lets in thousands of …
Why did Trump fire Dr. Carla Hayden, the celebrated Librarian of Congress?

5 days ago | msnbc.com | Steve Benen

Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, was on Capitol Hill this week, testifying in the House and Senate about her efforts to extensively modernize and optimize the library’s systems, processes and staff. As NBC News reported, those efforts have apparently come to an abrupt and unexpected end. It’s worth emphasizing that the two-sentence email Hayden received did not make effort to explain why Trump was firing her.
After a hint of independence, the FBI’s Kash Patel falls back in line with Trump’s agenda

5 days ago | msnbc.com | Steve Benen

FBI Director Kash Patel was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, and he did what others in his position have done many times: He asked for more money. In fact, testifying before a House appropriations panel, the highly controversial director of the bureau told lawmakers the FBI needed “more than what has been proposed” in the White House’s budget plan. The comments raised eyebrows a bit.
Friday’s Campaign Round-Up, 5.9.25: Alabama’s congressional map rejected by federal court

5 days ago | msnbc.com | Steve Benen

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country. * A federal court rejected Alabama’s congressional map this week, concluding that it violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voters’ political influence. It sets the stage for Alabama to draw up its third map since the 2020 census.