Daily Kos

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, showed off his Chicago roots on Monday by refusing to stoop to President Donald Trump’s level after Trump attacked the pontiff in an unhinged late-night social media frenzy. “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for,” Leo told reporters. The pope …

JD Vance's official title is vice president. But it looks like grim reaper might be a more apt label. On multiple occasions, Vance has met with or campaigned alongside prominent world leaders and figures, only for those figures to meet a bleak end. There was Vance's infamous encounter with Pope Francis in 2025, who died hours after spending time in Vance's company . But his anti-Midas touch reall…

If you’ve been waiting to snatch up your very own Trump phone, you’re going to have to wait a little—or a lot—longer. Eric Trump, Don Hendrickson, Eric Thomas, Patrick O'Brien, and Donald Trump Jr., left to right, participate in the announcement of Trump Mobile, in New York's Trump Tower on June 16, 2025. The Trump family has been promising to release a very fancy and very Trumpy smartphone, know…

A World War II-era policy is stopping old coal plants from closing, despite high costs and the wishes of their owners. By Dan Gearino for Inside Climate News At one time, the U.S. electricity grid ran mostly on coal. But coal-fired power plants have steadily been decommissioned. Power producers found the plants were too expensive to operate and carried risks tied to toxic air pollution, waste and…

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Hungary’s strongman Viktor Orban has lost reelection in stunning fashion, an absolute electoral wipeout that presages what his MAGA allies in the U.S. will be facing this November. The brand-new opposition Tisza party won around 53% of the vote , to just 37% for Orban’s Fidesz. Tisza is projected to secure around 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament, comfortably above the 133 needed for a superma…

Survey Says is a weekly series rounding up the most important polling trends or data points you need to know about, plus a vibe check on a trend that’s driving politics or culture. You may have heard that the Democratic Party is facing a crisis: The brand is weak. Poll after poll shows Americans view the party no more favorably than the Republican Party, despite the GOP having a generally reviled…

A cartoon by Clay Jones. Related | Trump says US forces will 'finish the job' soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war

As the political energy around abortion rights shifts, Alexis McGill Johnson is navigating the future direction of the organization. By Errin Haines for The 19th When Alexis McGill Johnson took the helm as leader of Planned Parenthood in 2020, the nation’s largest provider of reproductive care and a major force in American politics was already at a critical juncture. The organization’s last presi…

Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions. As President Donald Trump’s war in Iran spirals out of control , congressional Republicans are in a bind. They supported Trump's bombing campaign, and they even cheered his disgusting vow to end Iranian civilization .…

A cartoon by Clay Bennett. Related | Trump ramps up his unconstitutional crusade against mail-in voting

By Sam Whitehead for KFF Katie Crouch says calling her state’s Medicaid agency to get information about her benefits can feel like a series of dead ends. “The first time, it’ll ring interminably. Next time, it’ll go to a voice mail that just hangs up on you,” said the 48-year-old, who lives in Delaware. “Sometimes you’ll get a person who says they’re not the right one. They transfer you, and it h…