CNN/SnapStream Ahead of the Michigan Democratic Senate primary and the possibility of a victory for far-left Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI), Tuesday’s CNN This Morning focused heavily on the issue of Israel in the campaign, a frequent topic used by El-Sayed. Instead of a large discussion over establishment struggles, host Audie Cornish said El-Sayed was “inevitable” after the “uncommitted” DNC electors saga in 2024.In the lead segment of the show, Cornish went back to the Democratic Party’s recent issues in Michigan, which she called a “canary” over the War in Israel “ever since October 7th” terrorist attacks. She then noted that El-Sayed was “inevitable”:And Michigan was the place where, I remember the DNC, their electors were the most frustrated, right? That's where you really - it felt like that was the place that had this dialogue the most strongly. And it feels almost inevitable that you'd see a candidate like Abdul El-Sayed come forward. On CNN This Morning ahead of the Michigan primaries, Audie Cornish passed over the idea of establishment Democrat struggles in primaries and noted that a candidate like Abdul El-Sayed was “inevitable” in Michigan after the ‘uncommitted’ DNC elector saga in 2024 over Gaza. pic.twitter.com/IBamKRJpZd— Nick (@nspin310) August 4, 2026 After the panel discussed endorsements in the state between El-Sayed and his establishment-backed opponent in Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI), panelist Jesse Arm of the Manhattan Institute noted that “Abdul El-Sayed is winning because he's running a virulently anti-Israel campaign, as you said, Audie.”Cornish and Arm then got into a back-and-forth over what she actually said, after she related El-Sayed’s rise to the anti-Israel Michigan sect of Democratic voters and the ‘uncommitted’ movement. Later, Cornish made sure to note that she did not say El-Sayed was running a “virulently anti-Israel" campaign, as panelist @Jesse_Leg remarked himself.She then turned to CNN’s Aaron Blake and remembered back to a “grumpy” Bernie Sanders at a DNC and said, “It feels like we… pic.twitter.com/4hWvXm3Q20— Nick (@nspin310) August 4, 2026 Conrish started the comment accreditation fight: “Let me underscore. I did not say he was running a virulently anti-Israel campaign.” It continued, as Arm noted, “I don’t think he would dispute that he is running a virulently anti-Israel campaign.” Cornish responded, “I would dispute I said it.”After the credit battle, Cornish turned to say an El-Sayed victory and the rise of the DSA reminded her of a grumpy Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at an old DNC and his socialist movement: “it feels like we are seeing the fruits of a long-running movement that may or may not be coming to fruition.” In continuation of CNN This Morning’s Michigan primary focus, NOTUS's Dana Milbank downplayed the talk of the Democratic Civil War and admitted "the so-called establishment has gone substantially to the left in recent years." pic.twitter.com/pTog2kwX9J— Nick (@nspin310) August 4, 2026 Later, NOTUS columnist Dana Milbank made an admission in his claim that the Democratic Civil War is “overblown,” as he said the “mainstream” and “establishment.”After being asked by Cornish, “How come you say this is not a civil war?” Milbank remarked, “And for all the talk of divisions within the Democratic Party, the electorate is actually pretty close. You know, it's probably more unified than it's been really in decades. And you see, you know, even the mainstream of the party, the so-called establishment, has gone substantially to the left in recent years.”He continued, “So, yeah, there's this huge divide they have on Israel, but the whole party is moving in El-Sayed’s direction on Israel. They're both looking for universal health care, just different ways of getting there.”Milbank’s comments reflect the new reality of a Democratic Party that has already moved far to the left, exemplified by DSA victories and a possible El-Sayed primary win. As said by former NFL coach Dennis Green, “They are what we thought they were.”The transcirpt is below. Click "expand":CNN This MorningAugust 4, 20266:07:55 AM Eastern(...)AUDIE CORNISH: But also, Michigan has been a canary, right, in it's car factory for like a couple of years now. I mean, ever since October 7th. And I remember the Biden Administration trying to find a way to talk about Gaza and Israel with an electorate. And it had nothing in common with that electorate anymore. And Michigan was the place where, I remember the DNC, their electors were the most frustrated, right? That's where you really - it felt like that was the place that had this dialogue the most strongly. And it feels almost inevitable that you'd see a candidate like Abdul El-Sayed come forward.(...)6:10:00 AM EasternJESSE ARM: I think Abdul El-Sayed is winning because he's running a virulently anti-Israel campaign, as you said, Audie, I don't think it's because he's talking about bringing manufacturing back to Michigan. That's what Haley Stevens has been talking about. In fact, it's kind of the only thing she can talk about.CORNISH: Let me underscore. I did not say he was running a virulently anti-Israel campaign.ARM: [Raises hand] Okay, I did.CORNISH: I want you to own - your comments –ARM: I don’t think he -CORNISH: – just so you can get credit for your comment.ARM: I don’t think he would dispute that he is running a virulently anti-Israel campaign.CORNISH: I would dispute I said it. And, uh, I want to give the last word to Aaron because Bernie Sanders, when I think of him grumpy with his arms crossed at that DNC many years ago, Elizabeth Warren, it feels like we are seeing the fruits of a long-running movement that may or may not be coming to fruition.AARON BLAKE: Yeah. And this is a very big moment for that movement. And I'll tell you why. The reason is that the Democratic primary electorate has proven willing to elect these kinds of candidates, the DSA candidates, in cities like New York City, in cities, you know, heavily urban areas –CORNISH: And only now. Yeah.BLAKE: – Boulder in Colorado. They haven't gotten these candidates necessarily through primaries in marquee races, in swing electorates. So, getting Abdul El-Sayed through this primary and having him tested in a general election that is going to have lots of focus in November is a big moment for this movement. They need to prove that they can win in that kind of environment, not just primaries, but general elections with swing electorates. And that's why I think this race is so important for that movement.CORNISH: So, big test. That's why we're watching it. (...)6:38:21 AM EasternCORNISH: How come you say this is not a civil war? You've been writing about this, and it sounds like you think it's overblown.DANA MILBANK: I mean, what Nick is saying is all true. I think some of it is a little overblown. I mean, one of the main reasons I'll say it is doing so well is he's just extremely charismatic. I mean, he's a very good politician, you know? And for all the talk of divisions within the Democratic Party, the electorate is actually pretty close. You know, it's probably more unified than it's been really in decades. And you see, you know, even the mainstream of the party, the so-called establishment, has gone substantially to the left in recent years. So, yeah, there's this huge divide they have on Israel, but the whole party is moving in El-Sayed’s direction on Israel. They're both looking for universal health care, just different ways of getting there.(...)

MS NOW's The Rachel Maddow Show on SnapStream Every religion stems from the idea that there’s something bigger than all of us. But when politics becomes your religion, politicians become your gods and priests, to whom you confess your sins. On Monday’s episode of The Rachel Maddow Show on MS NOW, Maddow spent half the runtime gushing over Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, infamous for his watered-down Christianity. She also touted his religion and elevated Talarico to some kind of moral paragon that she fails to emulate.Maddow had a seven-minute runup before bringing Talarico on, attacking his opponent Ken Paxton and playing a TikTok clip of Talarico speaking about President Trump’s actions that supposedly insulted Jesus. The clip went viral, she claimed, because it shows “Talarico's strength as a candidate and his strength as a political communicator.” And other clips show “Talarico giving a full biblical exposition,” for which he was qualified to do “both as a Texas Democrat and as a seminarian.”“There is something specifically about James Talarico that I think has really driven Republicans to distraction,” Maddow crowed. “They are quite palpably unnerved by him. They are desperate for people to not hear him speak.” Rachel Maddow thinks Republicans are scared of James Talarico.Personally, I love every time Talarico opens his mouth and gives Republicans a free campaign ad. pic.twitter.com/jWtvfJaeiq— Cici Marie (@Cici_Marie_1776) August 4, 2026 On the contrary, every time Talarico opens his mouth, he gives a free ad for Paxton’s campaign. Most of Talarico’s publicity comes from Republicans highlighting his insane statements.Maddow asked Talarico how he was different from Beto O’Rourke, who lost his 2018 senate race to Ted Cruz. “I just want to speak to all the wounded idealists,” Talarico answered. “I didn't think it was possible to find a candidate worse than Ted Cruz, but I think we found him in Ken Paxton.”Maddow noted that when attacking Paxton, Talarico avoided personal controversies, "Listening to you talk about Ken Paxton that way, I'm struck by the contrast in the way you just sort of made the case against him there . . . I'm wondering if that's a conscious decision from you to avoid what may be salacious charges, but potentially really politically resonant charges about his personal character." “I'm just going to stick to Ken Paxton's public record because there's plenty of material there to run a campaign,” Talarico answered. “My faith is central in my life, it's central in my public service. And there's a teaching from my tradition to love your enemies. And it's a - it's become kind of cliche, but it really is a radical teaching.” I'd like to know how James Talarico defines love, because love isn't always getting along with someone. It definitely isn't always telling someone what they want to hear (like a girl is really a boy).Love is the hardest virtue, but Talarico's using it for politics pic.twitter.com/2pnjB9iPWl— Cici Marie (@Cici_Marie_1776) August 4, 2026 Loving your enemies is a radical teaching, but perhaps not in the way Talarico uses it. Real love doesn’t mean always getting along with someone, and it certainly doesn’t mean telling them everything they want to hear.Then, Maddow made her confession:One of the things that, I find it personally most challenging, to be empathetic about or, like, you're talking about love your enemy. One of the things that I just, I have a real hard time getting over and just thinking about, in a way that doesn't get me personally exorcised, is when people use political power to make sure that other people can't vote, when you are using the prerogatives of your control of the state or your control of the federal government, whatever it is, to make sure that you can't be ousted.   Maddow confesses to 'Fr' Talarico about her struggles with being empathetic, then in the same sentence fearmongers about election security.This is what happens when politics becomes your religion.Source: The Rachel Maddow Show on MS NOW, 8/3/26 pic.twitter.com/eGc1aF28lu— Cici Marie (@Cici_Marie_1776) August 4, 2026 In reality, 18.6 million people registered to vote in Texas in 2024, out of the estimated 28 million citizens. Adding a couple extra steps to verify voters and secure elections isn’t mass disenfranchisement, as Talarico claimed:We have seen the most aggressive attack on black political power since Jim Crow, gutting of the Voting Rights Act, these racist redistricting maps. And I think the first thing that we have to do. . .  has to be passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and guaranteeing that all of our neighbors, particularly our black and brown neighbors, can access their God-given rights at the ballot box.  Talarico spouting the old lie that we are living in Jim Crow 2.0He's desperately trying to win over Black Texas voters because a lot of them hate him. It's pure politics. pic.twitter.com/1fRzEDv4gP— Cici Marie (@Cici_Marie_1776) August 4, 2026 It all goes to show that the liberal media will use every outrageous, exaggerated claim to try and win back power, with no regard for the truth.The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:MS NOW's The Rachel Maddow Show8/3/269:10:26 p.m. Eastern(...)RACHEL MADDOW: And this is the man Texas Democrats have nominated to beat Ken Paxton and flip that state - flip that seat blue.[Cut to video]JAMES TALARICO: The President of the United States just said that I insulted Jesus. You want to know what insults Jesus? Kicking the sick off their health care while cutting taxes for billionaires. You know what insults Jesus? Deporting the stranger and separating babies from their mothers. You know what insults Jesus? Bombing innocent schoolchildren in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another forever war. You know what insults Jesus? Covering up the Epstein files and then refusing to prosecute a single person in them.[Cut back to live]MADDOW: That is James Talarico. He's the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in Texas. That clip is from his Tiktok channel. That clip has 24.3 million views. And that tells you a little bit - a little something about James Talarico's strength as a candidate and his strength as a political communicator. You may have heard about James Talarico's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, where Joe Rogan told him point-blank that he should run for president. You may have seen the viral clip of James Talarico opposing the Texas Republicans requirement to post the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. That clip went viral because it included James Talarico giving a full biblical exposition of not just how unconstitutional and un-American it was, but how un-Christian it was as well. He was able to speak to that, both as a Texas Democrat and as a seminarian. You may have seen his appearance on The View, which led the FCC to start a, quote, "equal time" investigation of ABC for the crime of putting on James Talarico. You may have seen his appearance with Stephen Colbert, which CBS lawyers told Colbert to cancel, and Colbert then did the interview purely for his YouTube channel, where it promptly got about 10 million views and sparked millions of dollars in fundraising for James Talarico's campaign. Texas has 32 million people in two time zones with 20 media markets. It is profoundly expensive to run there, and Democrats have felt for a long time like the deck is really stacked, stacked against them there. Democrats tell themselves every couple of years that maybe this is the year they can finally start winning there. But no Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994. Is this year different? There is something about James Talarico and, frankly, something about Ken Paxton, too, that makes this U.S. Senate race seem legitimately winnable for Texas, for Democrats. And there is something specifically about James Talarico that I think has really driven Republicans to distraction. They are quite palpably unnerved by him. They are desperate for people to not hear him speak. It is that same something that have - that has Democrats nationwide talking about James Talarico as more than just a promising candidate in this one race. Democrats nationwide have been talking about him as somebody who's really important, perhaps to the whole future of the Democratic Party. Joining us now for the interview is James Talarico, Democratic nominee for Texas Senate. Mr. Talarico, thank you so much for being here.TALARICO: Thank you for having me.MADDOW: I really appreciate the chance to meet you in person. We've never talked before.TALARICO: No.MADDOW: I've been really looking forward to this.TALARICO: Well, same here.MADDOW: So, talk me into the idea, that you can win a statewide race in Texas right now in 2026 when Beto O'Rourke couldn't with that remarkable campaign - with either of his two remarkable campaigns, when Colin Allred couldn't, when when Wendy Davis couldn't, these are all candidates who got a lot of national attention, got a lot of, sort of, Democratic hopes up. Why are you different?TALARICO: George Carlin has this great line that inside every cynic is a wounded idealist. And so, I just want to speak to all the wounded idealists who are watching this show right now and trying to figure out if they can believe that winning Texas is possible. 2018 is when Beto O'Rourke got within two and a half points of beating Ted Cruz. The backlash that we're seeing to the extremism and the corruption in our government is bigger than it was in 2018. And then, I didn't think it was possible to find a candidate worse than Ted Cruz, but I think we found him in Ken Paxton. I mean, this is the most corrupt politician in our state, one of the most corrupt in the entire country. You mentioned that since taking office, he's become a multimillionaire, all while the pay of most Texans has remained stagnant for years, for decades. He now owns 15 homes, while most Texans can't afford one. He's taken bribes from wealthy donors, all while he blocks overtime pay for Texas workers and guts our health care. I mean, he was one of the attorneys general who led the fight against the Affordable Care Act, which has led to premiums skyrocketing for Texans all over the state. And you just saw this month that he's taken these lavish vacations to Iceland, to England on the 4th of July, quite a decision to spend our 250th anniversary from the British--MADDOW: Independence from where?TALARICO: Yeah, right.MADDOW: Exactly. TALARICO: He was with the British on that anniversary.And most Texans can't afford to take a vacation given this cost of living crisis. So, Ken paxton's corruption is costing us in the state of Texas. And, and it's why the people closest to Ken Paxton know he's unfit for office. You mentioned that his own party impeached him in the Texas house. His own staff reported him to the FBI, his own defense attorney just endorsed me in this race. I'm kind of expecting his family dog to run away and head over to my house any day now. I mean, I think in a time when we're all so divided, there is one thing that Texans, Democrats, Independents and Republicans can agree on. And that's that we can't afford Ken Paxton's corruption.MADDOW: Listening to you talk about Ken Paxton that way, I'm struck by the contrast in the way you just sort of made the case against him there, and that clip that I just played from that John Cornyn brutal primary ad, hitting him on personal ethical issues, the very messy divorce, the allegations of adultery, those expensive vacations that you just referenced, part of the reason those got a lot of tabloid attention is because he was taking those vacations with a woman who's not his wife. She's also associated with some of the properties that he's been found to have, sort of without explanation. I'm wondering if that's a conscious decision from you to avoid what may be salacious charges, but potentially really politically resonant charges about his personal character.TALARICO: I mean, I think the only thing worse than Ken Paxton's personal cheating is his public cheating. I mean, yes, he's betrayed the people closest to him. You mentioned this being the anniversary of his famous mugshot, and that was because he was indicted for securities fraud, for investment fraud. And what's fascinating about that story - I'm not a lawyer, but when you read about what happened, he was scamming his own friends. He convinced his friends to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into a tech company, and then he didn't tell them that he was getting a commission off those investments. And so, I've said on the campaign trail, if Ken Paxton is willing to scam his own friends for a quick buck, what makes you think he's not going to scam you in the United States Senate? And the last thing I'll say is I served with Ken Paxton's wife. She's a state senator in Texas. Senator Angela Paxton, I have great respect for the senator. We don't agree on every issue, but I respect her public service. And the last thing I want to do is, is, kind of, bring up all this personal stuff when there's so much public stuff to really prosecute the case on. And so I'm just going to stick to Ken Paxton's public record because there's plenty of material there to run a campaign and, and make the choice in this election clear for the people of Texas.MADDOW: Your relationship with Republicans in the legislature is interesting politically, because as a Democrat in the Texas legislature, obviously, you're in the minority. TALARICO: Yes.MADDOW: Republicans have had that - had a lock on control in both chambers for a long time. But still, as a Democrat in the house, you have been able to pass a remarkable amount of legislation where you were lead sponsor--TALARICO: Yes.MADDOW: --as a Democrat, and you still got stuff made, made into law. What should the country understand - you're running for this position in the United States Senate - understand about how, as a Democratic Texas U.S. Senator, you'd be able to sort of put those lessons to work at the federal level. I don't think that Democrats nationwide have much faith that there is any - anything to be achieved by working with Republicans at the federal level. But you've done it at the state level.TALARICO: Yeah. And so I've passed 60 bipartisan bills through the Texas legislature. And these are not, you know, nibble around the edges incremental bills. I mean, I passed the largest early childhood education bill in our state's history. I passed the first ever cap on insulin copays in our state, passed a major reform to our justice system, allowing incarcerated minors to earn a high school diploma. So these are major bills that are making a real impact on Texans. And I think the key, you know, my faith is, is central in my life, it's central in my public service. And there's a teaching from my tradition to love your enemies. And it's a - it's become kind of cliche, but it really is a radical teaching. One, it acknowledges that you're going to have opponents, right? I mean, if you're trying to do right by your neighbors, if you're trying to speak truth to power, you're going to run into some resistance, some people who disagree with you, but you're called to love those opponents, those enemies, just as much as you love the people you're fighting for. And so in the state legislature, like I've been able to form real friendships, real relationships with my Republican colleagues, and we're fighting, you know, one day tooth and nail, you know, I if you see me on the on the back of my - in the well of the state house, I have no problem going toe to toe when I need to. But then the next day, we may find a piece of common ground that we can actually get something done on and. And I'm always going to seize that common ground whenever I can.And so, we're told that it's a choice between people who fight and people who get things done. I think the people of Texas deserve a senator who can do both. And I've shown in the state house that I can do both.MADDOW: One of the things that, I find it personally most challenging, to be empathetic about or, like, you're talking about love your enemy. One of the things that I just, I have a real hard time getting over and just thinking about, in a way that doesn't get me personally exorcised is when people use political power to make sure that other people can't vote. TALARICO: Yes. MADDOW: When you are using the prerogatives of your control of the state or your control of the federal government, whatever it is, to make sure that you can't be ousted. TALARICO: That's right. MADDOW: And, one of the things that I always, kind of, lecture people about when I'm hearing them - when I'm hearing Democrats get too optimistic about Texas, is that Texas has the second lowest voter turnout in the country. And it's not because Texans are apathetic, it's because it's really hard to vote in Texas. TALARICO: That's right. MADDOW: Texas Republicans have systematically attacked the franchise so that, you know, you can't - there's, not only is there no same day voter registration, there's no online voter registration, there's no automatic voter registration, like when you get driver's license or something. And it's - and plus there's all of this, not just fear mongering, but threatening people around these, these, sort of, phantoms of voter fraud. I don't know how you both compete for people's votes and constructively and empathetically compete with the people who are taking those votes away from your constituents and their own.TALARICO: Yeah. It's why attacks on voting rights is a red line for me, and it should be a red line for all of us, right? We can disagree on all kinds of issues, issues of moral importance, issues of life and death. But the key is that we always have a shot in the next election to make our case to the people and, and get a shot at winning political power. And attacks on voting rights, this redistricting power grab, those are attempts to rig the rules of the game so that we don't have a shot at making our case to the people in the next election. And so, it's why a year ago - a year ago today, my colleagues and I in the state house broke quorum to shine a national spotlight on this redistricting power grab. I mean, that's an extraordinary step, right? I mean, we have to love democracy even when we lose. And the people of Texas, at least at a statewide level, have voted for Republicans historically, at least over the last 30 years. And when you break quorum, you are disrupting representative democracy. But it is a tool in our constitution and our state, because it's an important check on the abuses of the majority.And when you manufacture the lines of a district to guarantee a certain outcome, you are robbing our neighbors of their God-given rights at the ballot box. And I say God-given intentionally not - you know, it doesn't matter if you're religious or not, but I think we can all agree that these rights don't come from politicians. They are inherent to us as human beings, as citizens of this country. And when you are robbing someone of those God-given rights, you're robbing them of their ability to shape their own destiny, for us as a community, as a state, to shape our own destiny.MADDOW: Do you think there's a way to turn it back, though? I mean, I agree with your critique of what's wrong--TALARICO: No.MADDOW: --about it, but I don't see any U-turns ahead, either in Texas or federally, it's even worse.Here's where we disagree, because you mentioned that this is LBJ's Senate seat. And if we win this seat in Texas of all places, I think we can build the political will to restore the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson. And so it's only appropriate that winning his seat could be the key in restoring federal voting rights protections for all Americans, banning gerrymandering in every state, blue states and red states alike, so that we can truly have free and fair elections in every community.(...)9:30:21MADDOW: Critics have argued that one of the things that makes you unelectable in Texas, is a reason that you can't win in Texas, is because you have, been empathetic toward and voiced support for trans people, that you have not been willing to join in in the demonization of trans people that motivates so many candidates right now and that the Republican party has relied on so heavily in general election campaigns. What's your response to that?TALARICO: I mean, I don't think we win by selling people out. And we're refusing to do that in this campaign. This is a campaign of, by, and for all Texans. And I think people are really tired of these culture war fights that are designed to tear us apart, designed to get us angry. I mean, there are difficult issues - trying to figure out trans athletes in sports. That's an issue where we could actually come to a policy solution. But instead, politicians like Ken Paxton use those difficult issues to rile people up, to divide us, to distract us, in order to win power for themselves. I mean, it's divide and conquer. It's the oldest strategy in the world. And so what we're trying to do in this campaign is bring people together. I've said that the most radical thing you can do in an era of division is unite people. And we're not going to win with the politics of division. We can't win that game. We have to change the game. And I think what's exciting about this campaign is so many people are hungry for that kind of politics of union and of friendship, of love. And people have been so starved of it for so long now. I mean, we've seen what a politics of fear looks like, we've seen what a politics of anger and rage looks like. But it's been a while since politics has made us feel hopeful or excited about the future, or brings us together and creates community. And I think that's what we're building in Texas in this election.Well, you had a, you know, very difficult, very hard-fought primary to get this nomination against congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. And that was a very racially striated result. She had a lot of support from black Texans. And you did not. I mean, Texas has more African-American residents than any other state in the country.TALARICO: That's right.MADDOW: Black Democrats are absolutely the backbone of the Texas state Democratic Party. What are you doing to repair any remaining bitterness from that campaign to reach black Texans, to convince them that you're their candidate, too?TALARICO: Yeah. I want to pick up on something you just said. When I win this seat as the next U.S. Senator from Texas, I'll represent the most African Americans of any senator in the state - in the country. And that work of representing black Texans starts now. It doesn't start the day after the election. And so, I've been traveling the whole state. I've been convening private conversations with black business leaders and elected officials and community leaders and faith leaders. I've been visiting black churches and black owned businesses, appearing on black media throughout the state, particularly our local, you know, Dallas Weekly and Houston Defender, but also podcasts and YouTube shows where, you know, folks are now getting their information and their news. And I've been rolling out policy proposals based on all these conversations that can meet the needs of black Texans. Obviously, there are issues that we all face, right? The rising cost of groceries and gas and housing and child care and prescription drugs. And then there are issues that black Texans face uniquely. And you think about the maternal mortality crisis in our state that is three times deadlier for black women. Harris county, home to Houston, is the deadliest place for a black woman to give birth in the entire country. And so, we've rolled out a comprehensive plan to combat that crisis. We've been visiting our HBCUs. We did a town hall at Prairie View and then gave the commencement address at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, the oldest HBCU. We've been talking about how to bring HBCU funding up to parity because there's a gap in funding between our historically black colleges and universities and similar institutions with a similar percentage of low income students. And imagine if we actually close that gap, what our HBSUs in Texas could do? And then, we already talked about voting rights. I mean, we have seen the most aggressive attack on black political power since Jim Crow, gutting of the Voting Rights Act, these racist redistricting maps. And I think the first thing that we have to do, to your point earlier, when we win a senate majority, our first priority before we get to housing and health care and education, has to be passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and guaranteeing that all of our neighbors, particularly our black and brown neighbors, can access their God-given rights at the ballot box.(...)

MRC Original MRC Original: The editors at Apple News and the algorithm behind Google News appeared to receive the same marching orders ahead of the 2026 midterm elections: Don't promote negative stories about scandal-plagued Democrats, but don't extend the same treatment to Republicans.The Media Research Center has uncovered another apparent double standard at Apple News and Google News. Days after revealing that the news aggregators effectively shielded Graham Platner and Abdul El-Sayed from scrutiny, MRC found that the same news aggregators had no hesitation in amplifying controversies involving two Republican candidates.The apparent disparate treatment comes as both digital news gatekeepers scramble to defend their editorial and algorithmic decisions, even as MRC's research has repeatedly found those decisions favor left-leaning viewpoints. Their negative coverage of Ken Paxton and Tony Gonzales further reinforces MRC's findings.MRC Findings:Google News happily promoted four negative headlines about Paxton and four negative headlines about Gonzales during their respective primaries. Similarly, Apple News featured four negative headlines involving Gonzales.This marked a stark contrast to the zero stories with negative headlines that each news aggregator promoted about Platner and El-Sayed as they rose in the polls in their respective Senate races in Maine and Michigan.Apple News and Google News’s erasure of Democratic Party candidate controversies is consistent with a broader pattern of the two news aggregators promoting left-leaning sources while shunning right-leaning ones, as assessed by independent media bias firm AllSides. Apple News and Google News Had One Standard for Republican Controversies, Another for DemocratsBy promoting negative stories about Republican-tied controversies and overlooking scandals involving Democratic candidates, Apple News and Google News appeared to apply markedly different standards during the 2026 election cycle.Now in his 11th year as Texas attorney general, Paxton is a longtime fixture in Lone Star State politics and certainly no stranger to negative media coverage. He defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican primary for U.S. Senate.Google News ensured that its readers learned of Paxton’s alleged financial struggles, the turmoil his candidacy caused anti-Trump Republicans and concerns that he could lose the general election.Examples of headlines on Google News:“Republicans are freaking out over Texas Senate race,” by Politico, promoted Feb. 26“Texas Voters Head To Polls Amid Concerns Over Senate Choice,” by The Washington Post, promoted May 26.“Republicans brace for money problems in Texas after Ken Paxton’s win,” by NBC News, promoted May 28.“Paxton win sparks GOP money panic,” by Politico, promoted May 28.Separately, Apple News and Google News promoted stories about Gonzales, a now-former Republican lawmaker who served in Congress from 2021 to 2026. He halted his re-election campaign in March 2026 after admitting to having an extramarital affair with a congressional aide. He later resigned from Congress, effective on April 14.Apple News and Google News each featured at least four stories about Gonzales’s decision to cancel his reelection, including two stories that even targeted Brandon Herrera, the Republican candidate who was challenging Gonzales.Examples of headlines on Google News:“Tony Gonzales drops reelection bid after pressure from GOP leadership,” by Axios, promoted March 6.“A Sex Scandal and ‘Mein Kampf’ Give Democrats Hope in West Texas Race,” by The New York Times, promoted March 6.“Accused Sexual Harasser GOP Candidate Steps Down, An Apparent Neo-Nazi Takes His Place,” by Rolling Stone, promoted March 7.Examples of headlines on Apple News:“Rep. Gonzales drops reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide,” by The Washington Post, promoted March 6.“Calls increase for expulsion of Swalwell and Gonzales over sexual abuse allegations,” by Politico, promoted April 13.Democratic Scandals Were All But Erased from the Same News AppsApple News and Google News’s negative coverage of Paxton and Gonzales stood in stark contrast to their treatment of Democratic candidates facing scandals. MRC found that the news aggregators failed to promote comparable negative coverage involving Graham Platner and Abdul El-Sayed.Platner, a left-wing candidate who sought to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the 2026 general election, rose in the Democratic Party primary despite mounting scandals surrounding his candidacy. Those scandals included a Nazi-linked tattoo, a history of inflammatory posts on Reddit, allegations of toxic behavior toward former girlfriends and claims involving extramarital affairs.Apple News and Google News’s lack of coverage continued until The New York Times published a report detailing the experiences of several of Platner’s former girlfriends, who described him as toxic and erratic. The report also referenced an allegation of sexual abuse later brought forward by Lindsey Fifield.As noted by MRC:“Apple News and Google News ran zero stories from November through May with headlines about Platner’s mounting controversies, including his Nazi tattoo and deleted Reddit posts, in which he called himself a ‘communist,’ denounced America and attacked police. The news blackout began during the Democratic Party primary as the first poll indicated that only Platner would defeat Collins in a hypothetical match-up. The blackout ended only after a May 30 report when sexting allegations came to light.“From November through May, Apple News and Google News willfully hid at least 112 significant stories from some of the most widely read right-leaning outlets covering Platner’s scandals, indicating a troubling pattern of intentional censorship.”Similarly, the news aggregators ran cover for Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan. Apple News and Google News effectively shielded him from scrutiny by failing to promote stories about controversies surrounding his campaign.MRC found that the news aggregators featured zero negatively framed headlines about El-Sayed as the race narrowed into a two-person contest and as he gained momentum in the polls.Among the controversies surrounding El-Sayed were deleted social media posts in which he voiced support for defunding the police, questions over his self-identification as a “physician,” ties to figures accused of anti-Semitism, support for abolishing ICE and his endorsement of “Medicare for All.”MRC previously reported:“The blackout of negative coverage occurred as El-Sayed began to take a lead over Democratic Party primary opponent Rep. Haley Stevens, potentially helping preserve his polling advantage by shielding voters from arguably unfavorable information.“From Nov. 1, 2025, through July 21, 2026, Apple News and Google News effectively shielded El-Sayed from his mounting controversies by keeping at least 104 stories from right-leaning outlets off of their top 20 morning feeds.“Even left-leaning news outlets published stories addressing controversies surrounding El-Sayed, with MRC identifying at least 13 articles that Apple News and Google News could have promoted but did not.”Apple News and Google News may argue that they cannot cover every race taking place ahead of the 2026 midterms. But that defense falls short, as MRC found that both news aggregators even promoted several stories about Republican primary races for the Indiana state Senate, despite those contests having little to no national significance. In fact, Apple News and Google News had eight stories each about those races. Apple News and Google News Relied Heavily on Left-Leaning Sources Across Their Top 20 FeedsBeyond the apparent disparity in scandal coverage, Apple News and Google News also relied heavily on left-leaning outlets throughout their top 20 daily feeds.During the study period — Nov. 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, for Google News and Nov. 3, 2025, through July 31, 2026, for Apple News — the two news aggregators collectively featured thousands of stories from left-leaning sources while offering comparatively few from right-leaning outlets. Google News promoted:3,245 stories (69%) from left-leaning outlets1,335 stories (28%) from center outlets135 stories (3%) from right-leaning outletsApple News promoted:3,679 stories (72%) from left-leaning outlets1,380 stories (27%) from center outlets52 stories (1%) from right-leaning outletsMethodology: The Media Research Center tracked the top 20 stories on Google News each morning from Nov. 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, and Apple News from Nov. 3, 2025 through July 31, 2026, at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET. MRC researchers then searched the following keywords to identify relevant stories: “Texas,” “Paxton,” “Cornyn,” “Indiana,” and “Gonzales.”MRC then used sentiment analysis to rate the relevant headlines across both news aggregators as negative, neutral or positive. The analysis included, but was not limited to, identifying possible hedging language, the use of loaded words to describe candidates, the arguments being promoted or highlighted and the presence of negative language.MRC researchers used the AllSides media bias ratings, which categorize an outlet as “left,” “lean left,” “center,” “lean right” or “right” to determine the bias presented by the featured outlets and analyzed the results.  

Screenshot from Snapstream/CNN CNN media analyst Brian Stelter touted a “remarkable guest essay” in The New York Times from Paramount owner David Ellison about the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. Ellison discussed how this merger wouldn’t translate to some antitrust nightmare in Hollywood, but he cut to the real point that Democrat attorneys general are trying to delay the merger, if not kill it over CNN: I believe a plainer worry sits beneath the briefs and the news releases: the news. The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner’s CNN. There has been speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions.I have regularly voted for candidates of both parties; I hold some views that would be called conservative and others that would be called liberal, just like most Americans; and when it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth.This is where perhaps Ellison doesn’t realize how he’s upsetting the elitist media. They don’t believe you EVER vote for a Republican, let along “regularly.” Having any “conservative” views is a flaming red flag. But wait, his failure to "read the news room” doesn’t stop there. He talks about news going to the middle. Horrors! This is exactly why installing Bari Weiss as an overseer is so wildly controversial. Being in the “middle” where Donald Trump might do something or say something right is unthinkable. It's “normalizing” of the evil emperor: Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle. That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence. Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve — not to any party or cause. These were founding principles for both CNN and CBS News, for legends like Ted Turner and Edward R. Murrow, and it is exactly that kind of independence that has always fueled the greatness of 60 Minutes.In reality, the Scott Pelleys and the Lesley Stahls do not believe 60 Minutes should favor a party and/or cause. They’ve made it plain for decades that this show was designed to lift up the Democrats with syrupy interviews (see Steve Kroft kissing the rings of Barack Obama), and savage Republicans (see Lesley Stahl fighting with Trump). As we often say, CBS under Bari Weiss is not dramatically different. It just threatens to be different. It questions if it should be different. Then Ellison addressed the cratering of public trust in the media: There is much ground to recover. By Gallup’s latest measure, just 28 percent of Americans trust the news — the lowest ever recorded. The temptation is to say the problem lies elsewhere. Our obligation is to look inward and say: We can do better. We are in a moment when Americans trust few institutions, but journalists haven’t always helped their case by refusing to engage with critiques.Trust can’t be argued back, but it can be earned back — story by story, day by day. In an age when so much of what fills our screens is machine-generated or engineered to enrage, journalism from real reporters matters more than ever. That is the work I intend to pay for, patiently, for a long time.This is another horror-movie passage for die-hards at CBS and CNN. If regaining trust means acknowledging that Trump voters and right-wingers might have reasonable critiques? Forget about it. They prefer journalism “engineered to enrage.” That’s their bread and butter, unless it’s for the Democrats and it’s “engineered like a campaign ad.”Stelter and his kind think Bari Weiss is failing CBS -- they tout dismal ratings, but they're rooting for it to fail. If they stray from the hard line, they want the leftist/socialist audience to leave, since the conservatives left long ago. They don't care about anyone's profit margin. They want the CBS business model to be a lot like MS NOW, and they want CNN to stay in full-time Evil Lying Trump Endangers Democracy mode, no matter how bad the ratings are. 

YouTube Screenshot Does every interview need to include a ritual denunciation of Donald Trump? New Yorker writer Helen Rosner interviewed Spanish actor Antonio Banderas about his role in the upcoming biopic about the late Anthony Bourdain, as you can see in "Antonio Banderas’s Acts of Faith."First Rosner praises Banderas for his outstanding performance in that film, as "Tony":The movie—which comes out August 7th—is a star turn for Dominic Sessa, who plays the young Tony with adenoidal swagger. But the most extraordinary thing on the screen is Antonio Banderas, who delivers an astonishing, devastating performance as the proprietor of the restaurant where Bourdain finds work, and on whose porch Tony ends up sleeping for the summer....Banderas has been, for well over thirty years now, one of our most bombastic, most movie-star movie stars, whether he’s brandishing a period-accurate rapier or succumbing to Almodovarian psychodrama. In the very human-scale role of Chef, all that glamour and pageantry seethes just beneath the skin. The movie doesn’t shy away from letting Tony make mistakes—at times, the character edges toward outright villainy—and Banderas animates Chef with a contrasting moral clarity whose force feels almost physical.So far, so good. Unfortunately, Rosner then proceeds to interview Banderas and attempts to get him to validate her unyielding Trump Derangement Syndrome while congratulating Spain on winning the FIFA World Cup:And then for Trump to be the one to hand them the trophy and to try to insert himself into the photo is so—I remember the Spanish captain going, “Please, we have to make the picture.” “You’re not on the team.”You know, in Spain, really, he was not highly criticized for that. It was just a laughing matter. It was funny. It was actually funny to see.Since Banderas brushed off Bosner's slam on Trump in a light-hearted, good-natured way she just couldn't let it go without trying again to elicit some sort of Trump hate from Banderas in a more forceful manner by portraying Trump as an "echo" of Spain's Francisco Franco, i.e. as a fascist autocrat.It must be a little surreal for you. You grew up in the Franco regime, and to see things of a similar shape happening in American politics—does that bring out any echoes for you?Well, they are different characters. Franco came from a completely different background. Franco was never elected democratically, and Trump was elected democratically. And, whether you like it or not, that is a fact. And those facts should be respected. That is a very important thing...Wow, the facts broke out. Thank you, Antonio Banderas for not being drawn in to Helen Rosner's mental obsessions by rejecting the notion of Trump as some sort of dictator.