Matt Sledge
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Articles by Matt Sledge
Hegseth Survives Impeachment Attempt
Self-styled Secretary of War Pete Hegseth narrowly avoided impeachment Tuesday night, as solidarity from House Republicans blocked a bill introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., charging Hegseth with “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Though Democrats overwhelmingly joined Massie’s effort following their midterm election landslide, the House voted 211 to 204 to refer the charges to a committee, allowing Republicans to slow the process. With 11 Democrats absent, they lacked the numbers.
Kalshi Is Cozy With Trump — But It’s Ramping Up Dem Hires and Campaign Spending
Since the start of the year, the prediction betting site Kalshi has two hired former officials from Joe Biden’s White House as a policy adviser and a top lobbyist. The company’s co-founders have also spent nearly $1 million on donations to federal candidates, with more than a third, or $377,000, going to Democrats like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., according to a new report.
Lesson From Lansing: To Win in Swing Districts, Fight Data Centers
When progressive Will Lawrence beat two moderates in a Michigan congressional primary earlier this year, some Democrats were worried about his ability to win one of the nation’s most evenly divided districts. Early Wednesday morning, Lawrence claimed victory over Republican Rep. Tom Barrett.
Michigan Senate Race Closes as a Referendum on Israel Policy
For the left, it’s been the marquee race of the midterm cycle. Either a Republican former U.S. representative known for pushing domestic spying powers or an outspoken progressive who forced a reckoning over U.S.–Israel policy among Democrats will emerge from Election Day as the next senator from Michigan. Abdul El-Sayed would be the first Muslim U.S. senator if elected Tuesday night, capping off a race that’s been viewed as a referendum on swing-state appeal for the Democratic Party’s left flank.
Abdul El-Sayed Tests the Limits of Islamophobia in Michigan
As Abdul El-Sayed’s one-time primary opponent attempts to redirect closing arguments in the Michigan Senate contest to the topics of Israel and antisemitism, the Democratic nominee has entered the final stretch of the midterms against a barrage of bigoted attacks over his own race and religion. President Donald Trump called him a “jihadist.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went on a racist rant against Arabs. According to Michigan state Sen.
AI Tried to Buy the Midterms — Then the Lobby Learned Everyone Hates AI
The artificial intelligence industry was poised to act as a kingmaker in the midterm elections. Super PAC networks bankrolled with millions of dollars from Anthropic and OpenAI executives spent heavily in competitive primaries earlier this year, including a high-profile race in New York City. They were touted as the looming successor to another single-issue group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, as AIPAC moved its spending underground.
Giant Crypto Super PAC Funnels Big Money to Former Trump Official’s Firm to Support… Democrats?
The Fellowship PAC, a super PAC fueled by crypto industry cash that once lavished praise on Donald Trump, is making a surprising pivot. When it was founded a year ago, news reports suggested that Fellowship PAC would concentrate on supporting Republicans. Since June, however, the only candidates Fellowship PAC has spent on have been Democrats, including those who have criticized the president’s meme coin, and it is getting help from a former Trump administration official’s company.
Dems Have an Opportunity to Force an End to the Iran War. Will They Take It?
For months, Democrats have forced Republicans to take vote after vote on President Donald Trump’s unpopular war on Iran. Now those votes could help Democrats retake Congress — and they will immediately have opportunities to follow through on their anti-war rhetoric. Democratic leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York have been cagey about their strategy on Iran for the lame-duck period before the next Congress is sworn in on January 3.
Trump Wanted Minneapolis 15 Case to Be Another Prairieland. Instead, Twin Cities Rallied Behind Anti-ICE Activists.
As the Trump administration unveiled an indictment earlier this year against 15 anti-ICE activists, many of whom identify as radicals, for purportedly tormenting federal agents last winter, a top U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official took the podium. There were two types of protests, said Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge Michael McCarthy, who oversaw the ICE agents in a St. Paul, Minnesota, field office who conducted the investigation.
Susan Collins’s Committee Bought Trucks the Army Didn’t Want. Then Campaign Donations Poured In.
The U.S. Army announced last year that it had enough of a specific model of armored vehicle and that any more deliveries would be “excess.” But even so, Congress found a way to keep funding alive for the vehicle — and executives at the company that produces the vehicle found a way to flood key members of Congress with campaign donations.
Israeli Settlers Killed His Constituent. Fetterman Is Sole Democrat Against Investigating Them.
Despite support from other Democrats, the Senate voted 51–47 against a resolution to force U.S. probes on killings of Americans in the West Bank. By Matt Sledge, The Intercept Every Democratic senator except Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman voted on Tuesday for a measure seeking to hold accountable Israeli soldiers and settlers who have killed U.S. citizens in the West Bank. The vote stood as a sign of how much the party’s position on Israel has shifted in the last two years.
Fetterman Sole Dem Against Investigating His Constituent’s Killer
Every Democratic senator except Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman voted on Tuesday for a measure seeking to hold accountable Israeli soldiers and settlers who have killed U.S. citizens in the West Bank. The vote stood as a sign of how much the party’s position on Israel has shifted in the last two years.
Decision on Charging Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s Killers Looms Over Minneapolis DA Race
Posters displaying images of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis on Jan. 29, 2026. (photo: Ben Brewer/Bloomberg/Getty Images) A former public defender and former federal prosecutor both say they’ll make the right call on charging the federal immigration agents who killed Pretti and Good. Cedrick Frazier’s blunt message for Minneapolis voters practically jumps off his yard signs: “PROSECUTE ICE.
Decision on Charging Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s Killers Looms Over Minneapolis DA Race
Cedrick Frazier’s blunt message for Minneapolis voters practically jumps off his yard signs: “PROSECUTE ICE. VOTE FRAZIER.” The slogan reflects the city’s deep anger over the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in January. It also reflects Frazier’s belief that the backlash gives him the edge in the race to serve as Minneapolis’s top prosecutor.
Facing Outraged Residents, Flock Got Help From Group That Uses AI to Rally Public Support
The debate over Flock cameras in Knoxville, Tennessee, had reached a fever pitch this July when a stay-at-home mom received a text message from a nonprofit group she had never heard of. The group, Neighbors for Strong Communities, asked Ashley Smith to speak out in support of Flock’s controversial license-plate readers. The nonprofit even offered to use artificial intelligence to help her draft an email to public officials.
Crypto Darling Gillibrand’s 11th-Hour Flip-Flop Helps Block Trump Crypto Bill
Hours before joining progressives to block a crypto bill that critics said was a handout to President Donald Trump, a top Senate Democrat was lobbying her colleagues to pass the legislation. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a centrist who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, privately urged fellow Democrats to support advancing a crypto bill that would have created a regulatory framework for the industry, according to reporting in Politico.
Crypto Darling Gillibrand’s 11th-Hour Flip-Flop Helps Block Trump Crypto Bill
3 hours ago There are 13 members of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. Nine of them are men. On Wednesday, Sept. 16, they will be talking about vaginal estrogen and hot flashes, OB-GYN training and insurance coverage at the first-ever congressional hearing on menopause. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New …
FAA Investigates Drone Pilot Who Films Animal Abusers
Liberal View 1 hour ago Missouri AG threatens 'absolute chaos' in defiance of state Supreme Court alternet.org - Alex Henderson • 1h In deep red Missouri, Republican State Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is lashing out the state's supreme court ruling over a recent ruling on the … U.S. Politics 2 hours ago Trump Is Quietly Planning to Majorly Change How National Parks Are Run NOTUS - By Anna Kramer and Eric Katz • 2h All Interior Department bureaus are considering major shake-ups under an...
FAA Investigates Drone Pilot Who Films Animal Abusers
For years, animal rights groups and the agriculture industry have played a cat-and-mouse game over drone videos of conditions at major farms. Angry farmhands faced off against activists who flew their drones overhead, with the operators secure in the knowledge that the Federal Aviation Administration allows licensed pilots to soar over farmland as long as they followed its rules and regulations.
Flock Donations to Local Politicians’ Groups Skyrocket as Protests Against AI Cameras Mount
Mayors and governors control many of Flock’s contracts for its AI-powered surveillance cameras. It’s donating to their associations. As fed-up activists target Flock, the AI-powered surveillance camera company is battling back with a massive increase in donations to associations for mayors and other local officials. Since the beginning of 2025, Flock has given 700 percent more to the partisan groups representing mayors, attorneys general, and governors than in the previous three years.
Flock Donations to Local Politicians’ Groups Skyrocket as Protests Against AI Cameras Mount
As fed-up activists target Flock, the AI-powered surveillance camera company is battling back with a massive increase in donations to associations for mayors and other local officials. Since the beginning of 2025, Flock has given 700 percent more to the partisan groups representing mayors, attorneys general, and governors than in the previous three years. The giving has gone to Democratic and Republican groups alike. Donating to those groups is a time-worn strategy for companies under scrutiny.
Trump Goes After Anonymous Email Provider in Italy. The Real Target Is Free Speech in the U.S.
Now Any move to increase borrowing costs in September will likely invoke the frustration of President Donald Trump. JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on Friday laid the groundwork for a possible interest rate hike in the coming months, arguing that the economy is strong and the …
Trump Goes After Anonymous Email Provider in Italy. The Real Target Is Free Speech in the U.S.
In the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s war on the left, the U.S. government’s designation of a popular antifascist webhosting provider as a terror group could shutter a swath of radical websites in the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Wednesday that they were targeting the Italy-based A/I Collective with terror sanctions. Federal law gives the Treasury Department broad discretion to apply the terror label to foreign groups.
Conservative Groups Side With Minneapolis Protesters Against Trump Crackdown
A trio of conservative and libertarian-leaning groups have asked a federal judge to force the disclosure of confidential files about undercover agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement infiltrating left-wing protest groups in Minneapolis. The Cato Institute, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and the Society for the Rule of Law filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Tuesday arguing that the Trump administration illegally targeted protesters based on their ideology.
This Mysterious “Astroturf” Group Popped Up to Defend the Paramount Merger
A state attorney general challenging the controversial mega-merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery is under attack from a newly created mystery nonprofit accused of being an “astroturf” front group. The group sent text messages in recent days calling on Californians to pressure Democratic state Attorney General Rob Bonta in support of the merger, which he has sued to block in court.
A Democratic Socialist Aims to Oust a Top AIPAC Beneficiary in Florida
The conventional thinking for Democrats hoping to win in Florida is to be tough on Cuba, friendly to Israel, and careful to avoid appearing too liberal. It’s a tactic aimed at courting powerful voting blocs, and one that helped Rep. Jared Moskowitz take office in the land of sunny skies and low taxes. This year, however, he’s facing a challenger attempting to flip that strategy on its head.
Secret ICE Agent Tried to ‘Entice’ Minneapolis Activists Into Confrontational Tactics
Organizers in Minneapolis long suspected they were being surveilled by the federal government during the height of the winter protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was not until a court filing on Thursday, however, that the youth-led Sunrise Movement and other groups learned the depths of infiltration. The Sunrise Movement has long preached nonviolence even as it pursues aggressive tactics, such as making a racket outside of the hotels where ICE agents sleep.
Rubio Is Trying to Keep Leftists Out of US by Banning Supporters of “Economic Sabotage”
A new State Department policy about “far-left terrorism” could spark a crackdown on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions activists. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last month a policy banning visas for foreigners accused of links to “far-left terrorism.” The policy cited Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 as well as the law Rubio used to try to deport the pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil.
Rubio Is Trying to Keep Leftists Out of U.S. by Banning Supporters of “Economic Sabotage”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last month a policy banning visas for foreigners accused of links to “far-left terrorism.” The policy cited Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 as well as the law Rubio used to try to deport the pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil. More than three weeks later, however, it’s not clear how Rubio and the State Department intend to use the policy.
Trump’s Crypto Corruption Puts Centrist Democrats in Bind
The latest version of a sweeping crypto bill exposed a deep divide between progressives and moderate Senate Democrats: whether to accommodate the industry ahead of the fall midterms, or declare open war on it. Seven Democrats issued a statement Wednesday night lamenting that they cannot vote for the latest draft of the bill, citing weak provisions aimed at tamping down Donald Trump’s crypto self-enrichment, among other issues.
William Lawrence Is Running in a Purple Michigan District — on His Pro-Palestine Credentials
In key swing districts across the country, Democratic Party leaders have backed centrist candidates with carefully calibrated positions on charged issues such as artificial intelligence and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. William Lawrence is running a very different campaign. In a purple congressional district in Michigan, Lawrence, a co-founder of the progressive Sunrise Movement, is calling for a moratorium on new data centers and labeling Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide.
Intel Pick Jay Clayton Won’t Tell Congress Whether Trump Ordered Subpoenas of NYT Journalists
At his confirmation hearing to serve as the nation’s top intelligence officer, Jay Clayton dodged questions about whether the White House ordered him to send subpoenas to New York Times journalists as part of an FBI investigation into alleged leaks of classified information.
Intel Pick Jay Clayton Won’t Tell Congress Whether Trump Ordered Subpoenas of NYT Journalists
1 hour ago Who won the 2020 election? Congress grills National Intelligence nominee on potential interference YouTube • 1h President Trump’s nominee to become the next Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, faced questions on Capitol Hill Wednesday about his ability to remain independent if he’s confirmed to the role. The Director of National Intelligence is supposed to help protect the U.S. against external threats.
Trump’s Intel Pick Played Key Role in NYT Subpoenas — But Some Democrats Still On the Fence
Progressive groups are demanding that Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence oppose Jay Clayton’s nomination as director of national intelligence, pointing to his role in an attempt to intimidate the New York Times over critical reporting on the Trump administration. Some key Democrats, however, have so far not committed to opposing President Donald Trump’s nominee for the nation’s top intelligence job.
United States Counterterrorism Strategy
“Americans should be safe to live their lives without the fear of terror attacks, the threat of Jihadists, the flooding of our communities with deadly drugs at the hands of foreign narcoterrorists, or violent left-wing extremists.” If US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent address to the Munich conference was unhinged, the latest US counterterrorism strategy, the first released under new counterterrorism czar Sebastian Gorka, represents another level of insanity.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Wants to Save Crypto — But Trump Windfall Is a Political Obstacle
Donald Trump is cleaning up on crypto, disclosing a $1.4 billion windfall last week. Yet cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have, after a year of flying high in the wake of Trump’s election, plummeted. The crypto industry is putting hopes for its revival in a long-awaited bill, under debate in the Senate, called the Clarity Act, which could open the doors to Wall Street investments. But there is one thing ironically standing in its way: Trump’s giant crypto haul.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Wants to Save Crypto — But Trump Windfall Is a Political Obstacle
3 hours ago The late South Carolina senator ultimately became one of the president's closest allies. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died on Saturday, will be remembered as one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the Senate. But that wasn’t always the case. In 2015, when Graham was among several …
Black Agenda Report
Activists gathered from various areas of Michigan to report on the excesses and brutality of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with the local police and the complicity of political officials. Originally published in Fighting-Words. On Saturday, June 27, the Detroit People’s Tribunal was convened at the Historic St. Matthew’s & St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in the North End of Detroit.
How Local Cops Are Running With Trump’s NSPM-7 Attacks on Antifa
Local authorities accused the same legal assistance group targeted by Joseph McCarthy a half century ago of being part of a vast antifa conspiracy. By Matt Sledge, The Intercept A month after Donald Trump issued an executive order purporting to designate antifa as a domestic terrorist group, an intelligence unit inside the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in Florida sent out a confidential bulletin.
Trickle-Down Suppression: Local Cops Echo Trump’s “Terrorist Org” Attacks on Antifa
A month after Donald Trump issued an executive order purporting to designate antifa as a domestic terrorist group, an intelligence unit inside the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in Florida sent out a confidential bulletin. Trump’s announcement was widely criticized as a legally baseless attempt to criminalize his enemies on the left, but the Southeast Florida Fusion Center took it very seriously.
How Local Cops Are Running With Trump's NSPM-7 Attacks on Antifa
World News Now New lawsuit alleges US shared asylum application details with Iran NPR - Ximena Bustillo • 57m A new lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. alleges the Trump administration is divulging details of Iranian asylum seekers to the government of Iran. Lawyers with the left-leaning Public Citizen Litigation Group argue the administration began sharing information about the applications with Iran in … World News Now Trump Promised a Foreign Investment Boom. It’s Getting Harder to Deliver.
Trickle-Down Suppression: Local Cops Echo Trump’s “Terrorist Org” Attacks on Antifa
World News 1 hour ago NATO summit begins in Turkey as Trump pushes for more defense spending and ponders Greenland CBS News - Kathryn Watson • 1h Washington — As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's summit in Turkey begins Tuesday, President Trump will continue to push NATO countries to … Politics 2 hours ago Trump told interesting stories about George Washington and the Panama Canal.
Congressional Dems Shift to Overwhelmingly Oppose Involvement in Israel’s War on Lebanon
Democratic Party leaders in the House reversed course and moved to back a resolution against U.S. involvement in Israel’s war on Lebanon on Tuesday, giving the bill overwhelming support from Democrats for the first time since Congress began seeking to address the conflict. The resolution sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., failed 235-189, with near-universal opposition from Republicans. The vote was another sign of changing attitudes among Democrats about Israel.
Prairieland Defendant Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison
Above photo: Supporters of the Prairieland defendants displayed signs outside the courthouse during sentencing on June 23, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. Matt Sledge/The Intercept. For Moving a Box of Antifascist Zines. Anti-ICE activists received lengthy prison terms — including a 100-year sentence — in the first major trial of the NSPM-7 era.
Prairieland Defendant Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Moving a Box of Antifascist Zines
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Daniel Sanchez Estrada wasn’t accused of attempted murder or material support of terrorism after a protest turned catastrophically wrong outside an ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas. He was merely convicted of obstructing the investigation by moving a box full of antifascist zines after the protest. Giving him a long prison term would make a mockery of justice, his defense attorney, Christopher Weinbel, told U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor on Tuesday.
Trump-Loving Crypto Super PAC Finally Backs a Democrat: Ritchie Torres
A crypto super PAC that has praised President Donald Trump and previously endorsed an all-Republican slate of candidates has finally found a Democrat it can get behind: New York Rep. Ritchie Torres. The Fellowship PAC dropped $300,000 on Monday to boost Torres in the final days of his reelection primary campaign, funneling its ad spend through a firm co-founded by Trump’s former top crypto adviser.
Senate Democrats Aren’t Happy About Trump’s Spy Law Ultimatum
Before President Donald Trump threw his latest hand grenade into congressional negotiations over a key domestic spying law, two factions of Senate Democrats seemed to believe they were on the verge of a breakthrough. Privacy advocates thought they had their best chance in years of passing reforms, including a warrant requirement for searching American communications collected abroad.
Are Jeffies and Schumer Getting Ready to Greenlight Domestic Spy Power for Trump?
When Congressional Democrats rallied against President Donald Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte to serve as temporary director of national intelligence last week, they said he was an unqualified pick who would be too eager to use the job to undermine elections. Now some high-ranking Democrats are lining up to support another permanent appointee with a dubious claim to the legal job requirements — Jay Clayton — who has also openly questioned the integrity of U.S. elections.
Are Jeffries and Schumer Getting Ready to Greenlight Domestic Spy Power for Trump?
Democrats balked at handing Bill Pulte spy powers. Will they stay strong against Trump’s new pick for intel chief? When Congressional Democrats rallied against President Donald Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte to serve as temporary director of national intelligence last week, they said he was an unqualified pick who would be too eager to use the job to undermine elections.
ICE Should Show It Hasn’t Been “Infiltrated by Violent Extremists,” Senator Urges
A Democratic senator has asked newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to explain the department’s racist social media presence and assure the agency has not been “infiltrated by violent extremists.” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., pointed to a March bulletin from Colorado law enforcement analysts that was unearthed by The Intercept last month.
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