Rachel Maddow's Blog
October 6, 2025
The real deadline some lawmakers are using to end the shutdown
There's a simple reason Congress could have a shutdown breakthrough in the next week.
The Trump administration just offered these top universities a devil’s bargain
In exchange for preferential access to federal grants, universities must follow the administration’s dictates on various issues including campus speech and hiring.
Democrat accuses Mike Johnson of ‘suspicious’ delay of swearing-in to avoid Epstein vote
Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona accuses Mike Johnson of delaying her swearing-in to avoid a House vote on releasing the Epstein files.
Judge’s order puts Georgia prosecution of Trump on the clock toward possible dismissal
When Georgia’s top court declined last month to hear Fani Willis’ bid for reinstatement to prosecute Donald Trump and others, I noted that the rejection could effectively end the beleaguered criminal case.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia ruling shows how Trump’s vindictive prosecutions can backfire
There’s a legal hurdle standing in the way of the Trump administration’s vindictive prosecutions: the fact that it’s illegal to bring vindictive prosecutions.
The top prosecutor risking her job to defy Trump's push to charge Letitia James
A top prosecutor plans to decline to seek charges against New York AG Letitia James, resisting intense pressure from President Donald Trump.
As his FBI tenure goes from bad to worse, Kash Patel abandons the pretense of seriousness
The problem isn't that Kash Patel is failing at his attempts to be a serious and capable figure. The problem is that the FBI director isn't even trying.
Despite campaign promises, White House eyes new changes to Social Security and Medicare
“I will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare,” Trump vowed in 2024. I have some bad news for voters who believed him.
Pete Hegseth fires yet another military leader as the Pentagon purge intensifies
The more Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth purges military leaders, the more he destabilizes the U.S. armed forces.
