Nicole Lafond
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Articles by Nicole Lafond
Greg Abbott Grasps At Anything to Stir Up Anti-Islam Panic for His Reelection
For over two years now, the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas has had facilities to accommodate the Muslim wudu ritual of washing hands, feet and face ahead of daily prayers. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is, just now, very concerned about it. That’s, in part, because of the recently-made-public plans to install similar facilities at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport — and in part because Abbott is running for reelection.
Greg Abbott Grasps At Anything to Stir Up Anti-Islam Panic for His Reelection
Abbott's Only Campaign Strategy For over two years now, the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas has had facilities to accommodate the Muslim wudu ritual of washing hands, feet and face ahead of daily prayers. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is, just now, very concerned about it. That's, in part, because of the recently-made-public plans to install similar facilities at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport — and in part because Abbott is running for reelection.
New Report on Carr Communications With White House, Right-Wing Media Affirms What We’ve Know All Along Original
I’ve been making the case in Where Things Stand for some time now that Federal Communications Commissions Chair Brendan Carr has been one of the most successful yes men of Trump’s second term when it comes to carrying out the very specific and often petty aims of Trump’s retribution campaign against the media.
Slotkin Asks Hegseth to Confirm He Won’t Send Troops to Polls Original
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Tuesday, asking both Defense Department officials to confirm that the Pentagon will not send troops to polling places during the upcoming midterms.
Blanche Hints Trump Admin Might Try to Take Voter Roll Fight to SCOTUS Original
Newly-confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche made headlines over the weekend for other, arguably, more alarming remarks and actions than what I am about to unpack. During an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Blanche refused to say that the Justice Department would act independently from the White House. On Friday, he and FBI Director Kash Patel openly campaigned for a Republican midterms candidate alongside President Trump.
Anthropic’s Fight With the Pentagon Shows How AI Could Threaten a Crucial Safeguard of Democracy
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation. In February, the United States Department of Defense threatened to designate the AI firm Anthropic a “supply-chain risk” after a dispute over the military’s use of the company’s Claude models. This designation would not only put the company’s $200 million Pentagon contract at risk, but would require all defence contractors to cut ties with the company.
Republicans’ Plan to Convince Americans They Care About Affordability Is Cartoonishly Out of Touch Original
I’ve been operating under the assumption that the Trump administration’s interest in cracking down on “fraud” in how states spend federal funding that is dispersed for programs like Medicaid, Medicare and the federal nutrition program SNAP was just another excuse to punish President Trump’s critics and perceived political foes.
Trump Admits to ‘Some Contractor Error’ As WH Asks DOJ to Consider New Charges: Catching Up on the Reflecting Pool Drama Original
You may have seen the news by now that the Trump White House has asked the Justice Department to consider bringing a new prosecution against the same man that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. just moved to dismiss felony charges against over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool saga.
Ralph Norman doesn't completely embarrass himself
Late-Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) sister Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) will both advance to an Aug. 25 runoff to determine which Republican will appear on the ballot in November to replace Graham after his unexpected death earlier this summer. The Associated Press projected Graham's sister would advance early in the night, but it was unclear if Norman or Rep.
Ralph Norman Doesn’t Completely Embarrass Himself
Late-Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) sister Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) will both advance to an Aug. 25 runoff to determine which Republican will appear on the ballot in November to replace Graham after his unexpected death earlier this summer. The Associated Press projected Graham’s sister would advance early in the night, but it was unclear if Norman or Rep.
Republicans’ Red-Scare-Meets-Islamophobia Midterms Strategy Gets More Desperate Original
In today’s edition of Where Things Stand, I want to unpack a few examples of the Republican midterms messaging strategy that we’re tracking as the party grasps at increasingly dangerous and racist threads to campaign on in lieu of any cohesive policy platform.
Dr. Phil and a Texas Oil Firm Go to Greenland With a Suspicious Agenda. Signs Point to Trump’s Imperialist Visions. Original
There hasn’t been a ton of new reporting on a suspiciously-timed and blatantly Trump-linked project unfolding in a remote area of Greenland, so I wanted to use Where Things Stand today to help pull some of these threads together. It’s a convoluted story, of which we don’t have the entire picture, but it involves a Texas oil company with close ties to Trump’s imperialist visions in Greenland and, somehow, Dr. Phil.
America’s Thin Social Safety Net Is ‘Communist’ Now
President Trump and other Republicans have been struggling to land on any sort of uniform messaging as they seek, ahead of the midterms, to spin their recent legislative effort as making life more affordable for working class Americans when it has, in fact, largely done the opposite.
America’s Thin Social Safety Net Is ‘Communist’ Now
President Trump and other Republicans have been struggling to land on any sort of uniform messaging as they seek, ahead of the midterms, to spin their recent legislative effort as making life more affordable for working class Americans when it has, in fact, largely done the opposite.
Trump Mixes Usual Election Fraud Delusions With New Red Scare in Wake of El-Sayed Win Original
In the wake of now-Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow victory over the Democratic establishment-backed candidate Rep. Haley Stevens in Tuesday’s primary, President Trump is back to his old ways, giving a platform to MAGA conspiracy theories about how Detroit runs its elections.
Max Miller Agrees Allegations Are ‘Troubling,’ Admits He’s on T in Strange CNN Interview
I break down some of the details in tonight’s edition of Where Things Stand here. It’s the third item in tonight’s newsletter, so just wanted to flag it. It was strange. Here’s a link to the interview in full.
Is Blanche Vow to Make Dobbs Permanent in ‘Every Single State’ Tied to Cornyn, Tillis Appeasement? Original
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and a handful of women’s rights and reproductive freedom groups are sounding the alarm over recent reporting that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has vowed to use the Justice Department to roll back abortion access nationwide — a break with both President Trump’s own campaign promises that places him much further out on a limb on abortion than other Trump admin officials have been willing to go.
After Some Early Trump Retribution Wins, Pirro Has Fallen Out of His Good Graces Original
President Trump spent the weekend raging on Truth Social against Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, after the Justice Department wrote in a motion to dismiss the case that issues with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were the result of bad refurbishing work — and not the product of vandalism, as it had previously alleged. Trump still insists vandalism is to blame.
ABC Unleashes: Carr Wants a ‘Media Industry Too Fearful of Official Reprisal to Report the News Freely’ Original
In a scathingly-written regulatory filing posted on the Federal Communications Commission’s website on Thursday, ABC’s lawyers tore into Trump administration FCC head Brendan Carr for “attempted censorship” and accused Carr of helping President Trump in his retribution campaign against media that criticizes him.
Trump and Republicans Ensconce Themselves in 2020 in Lieu of Any 2026 Midterms Strategy Original
By now, you may have seen the headlines about Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) dragging former Trump and Biden administration health official Dr. Anthony Fauci before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — during which he berated him for pleading the fifth and kicked Fauci’s attorney out of the hearing. While the senator is not exactly an orthodox MAGA zealot, Paul has been fixated on Fauci — as many MAGA-aligned conspiracy theorists were back in 2020 — for years.
Now Cornyn’s Talking About a Potential Delay in Blanche Vote Original
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told reporters on Tuesday that there’s a chance the confirmation vote to move Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination out of committee may be postponed — or it may not. Cornyn said a delay in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s scheduled vote (set, for now, for 9:00 a.m. ET Thursday) is “being discussed but hopefully … won’t be necessary,” Politico reported.
Sherrill Signals She Won’t Hand Over Names of Noncitizens Who Voted as DOJ Seeks Scapegoats Original
It appears as though New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) will not comply with the Justice Department’s demands for the identities of the 6,600 noncitizens who were, through no fault of their own, placed on the voter rolls in 2023 and 2024. The whole episode was the result of a software error.
DOJ Was Never Not Gonna Use New Jersey Noncitizen Error to Bolster Trump’s Delusions Original
The Trump administration has been salivating for something — anything! — that could help feed President Trump’s belief in the myth that noncitizens are illegally voting en masse for Democrats. The unfortunate situation in New Jersey this week, involving a software error at the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission during Gov.
Lindsey Graham’s Sister Pledges Her Allegiance to Trump by Way of SAVE Act Original
Freshly sworn-in Sen.
Trump Has to Beg Two GOPers He’s Spurned to Get Blanche Over Finish Line Original
The White House is being forced to court a Republican senator who President Trump has labeled a “loser” and another whose political career Trump ended to advance acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s AG nomination to the Senate floor.
From Red Cards to Photobombs, Donald Trump Tried to Make the World Cup About Himself
Spain Edits Trump Out of Instagram Post Ahead of the World Cup's Round of 16, President Donald Trump literally interfered with the U.S. team's run as he called FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and argued for a controversial red card to be reviewed. And, on Sunday, as the quadrennial tournament came to its conclusion, Trump crashed the stage during the final celebration.
The Outrageous House Republican Move to Enact Trump’s Vote Suppression Proposals By the Backdoor of Budget Reconciliation Original
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. House Republicans will bring forward this week a surprising and dangerous form of the voting restriction proposals that President Trump has been relentlessly pressuring Congress to pass for months. That act may well discourage or exclude millions of voters via draconian requirements for presenting proof-of-citizenship when registering, showing rigorous voter ID at the polls, or even purging voter rolls.
If Fetterman Were Going to Change Parties, He Might Act Like He’s Acting Now
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is re-arousing suspicion that he may intend to switch parties, something he's tepidly denied he'll do in the past. He said at a summit Wednesday that, "If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that's when I would leave because that's been a moral clarity for me," adding that he has "no plans" to leave the Democratic Party. Fetterman cited a House floor vote Wednesday on Rep.
Blanche Does Cagey Dance on DOJ Independence: Dept of Justice Is ‘Under the Executive Branch’ Original
There was no question heading into Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that Blanche would receive little to no pushback from Republicans about the inappropriate nature of the work he has done to help transform the Department of Justice into President Trump’s personal law firm.
Republican Senators Are MAGA Conspiracy Theorists Now
There is an ever-shrinking gulf between the right-wing fringe and elected Republicans in their certainty that even easily explainable events must be the work of a shadowy cabal. Conspiracy theories have bubbled up around both the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), 71, and the prolonged illness and absence of 84-year-old Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Sen.
Judge Orders Sanctions Against Blanche, Says Trump Tried to ‘Manipulate the Judicial Process’ With IRS Settlement Original
A judge has reached the same conclusion as many others about President Trump’s attempt to loot the Treasury to line the pockets of his supporters and political allies. Her findings were outlined in a scathing new decision Monday. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams — an Obama appointee in Miami — voided Trump’s settlement agreement with the IRS, saying the lawsuit was filed for an “improper purpose” and describing the whole arrangement as a practice in self-dealing.
A Pro-Trump Christian Group Wants to Put a Cross on the Moon
The Christian right has been gaining traction in Washington, D.C. under President Donald Trump. And now, one Trump-aligned religious group has their sights set on the moon. "Cross on the Moon Coalition" says they are "on a spiritual mission to send a cross to the lunar surface to consecrate the heavens and remind humanity that God is the King of the universe." They say they want to do this by 2030 and have created animations and images showing a robotic cross unfolding from a lunar lander.
Johnson Looks for Meaningless Ways To Satisfy Trump, Far-Right on Birthright Citizenship Original
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) went on Fox News on Sunday to speak to an audience of one. During his brief remarks he waxed eloquently about his new, sophisticated plan to try to pass elements of the SAVE America Act before the midterms by stuffing portions of it into another reconciliation bill that House Republicans are somehow going to pass before the end of the term. As my colleague Emine Yücel points out, this plan is neither novel nor sophisticated — and almost certainly will not work.
1,200 DOJ Alums Ask Senators to Reject Blanche, Who Has ‘Utterly Failed to Abide By’ His Oath Original
The Justice Department alumni group, Justice Connection, has sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging senators to reject acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to be AG ahead of his confirmation hearing next week. The letter is signed by 1,200 former DOJ employees.
FCC Chief Carr’s Threats of Retribution Seem To Be Working Original
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has been one of the most successful sycophants of Trump II thus far, as he increasingly finds creative ways to use his post as head of the communications commission to clamp down on free speech and punish and threaten those in the media whose coverage and commentary President Trump does not like. It’s a story TPM has been covering for months, since Carr’s first attempts to try to get comedian Jimmy Kimmel fired in September of last year.
The Version of the SAVE Act That Trump Wants Passed Doesn’t Even Have the Votes in the House Original
Politico has a new piece out today reporting on a quiet, but apparently universally known, concern among Republicans in Congress: that the mail-in voting restrictions that President Trump is attempting to bully everyone into passing ahead of the midterms do not even have the votes they need in the House, let alone the Senate.
Surely a Winning Strategy: Republicans Are Trying to Be as Tone Deaf as Possible on Affordability Original
It would be difficult to miss President Trump’s remarks this week about what a “yawn” fest the bipartisan housing bill that is sitting on his desk is — the one that Republicans members of Congress are begging him to sign so they have something to campaign on for the midterms.
Johnson Follows Kavanaugh’s Lead, Says Congress Will ‘Deal With’ Birthright Citizenship Original
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) agreed to try to find a congressional path forward for the right-wing’s fever dream of ending birthright citizenship after a divided Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to do so by executive order. Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh, in particular, left open the door for Congress to act in his concurrence — and Johnson suggested he would, before he even had a chance to read it.
Trump Stokes Outrage at SCOTUS, Tries For New Red Scare as Part of SAVE Act Pressure Campaign Original
There is little that crosses the president’s desk these days that he won’t try to weaponize to continue bullying Senate Republicans into passing the SAVE America Act before the midterms — a logistical impossibility unless Republican leadership decides its a task worth nuking the filibuster or firing the Senate Parliamentarian over. As my colleague John Light noted this morning, so far, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has not been swayed to such an end.
Following Trump’s Lead, Far-Right House GOPers, Again, Shoot Themselves in the Foot For the SAVE Act Original
A House Republican has convinced enough of her colleagues to join her in shutting down the House’s legislative work to put their plan into action. They hope to somehow convince the Senate to come back from recess and pass a bill that top Senate Republicans have repeatedly insisted will not pass in the Senate. If that sounds convoluted and like a useless hostage-taking exercise, that’s because it is. But Rep.
On Big Night for the Left, Voters Tapped An Institutionalist Normie to Take on Mike Lawler
Fighters in Many Forms Anti-establishment forces within the Democratic Party are undeniably ascendant, Tuesday being the latest election to see incumbents fall to political outsiders. Many of the banner races happened in deep blue New York City districts, where the Democratic candidate is virtually guaranteed the seat. Latitude is broad, from a party success viewpoint, for Democratic socialists and dyed-in-the-wool lefties to challenge even reliable Democratic incumbents.
DOJ Makes Surprising Choice After Newsrooms Push Back Original
Earlier this month, the Justice Department reportedly withdrew subpoenas it issued to journalists seeking to compel the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Virginia. The odd reversal came after news outlets challenged the subpoenas, according to new reporting from the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Judge Throws Out ‘Blatantly Unlawful’ DOJ Subpoeana Targeting Walz, Other Minnesota Dems Original
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, a President George W. Bush appointee, threw out Trump DOJ grand jury subpoenas aimed at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz from January, finding in a ruling unsealed Monday that there was “no doubt” that the subpoenas were issued to retaliate against Walz.
Weed and Guns Case Makes for Odd Supreme Court Bedfellows
An All-Ideologies Buffet A Supreme Court decision handed down Thursday had a little something for everyone, culminating in a rare 9-0 decision (with many a concurrence). United States v. Hemani stems from the horrifying experience of Ali Hemani, a dual U.S.-Pakastani citizen in Texas.
Georgia Republicans See Writing on the Wall Original
The official reason that Georgia Republican leaders cite in their letter to Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announcing their decision to drop plans to redraw the state’s congressional district lines for 2028 ahead of the midterms is pending litigation in the state. Republican officials expected the map re-draw to target at least two House districts currently held by Democrats, at least one of which is a majority-Black district.
Cornyn Suggests He’s Undecided on Blanche After Predicting ‘Miserable’ Final Two Years for Trump Original
With a tentative confirmation hearing date set for mid-July today, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday.
DHS Sec Mullin Comes Up With Some Reasons ICE Might Be Sent to Polls
'ICE Agents Are There to Flex If We Need to' Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin employed a bit of rhetorical spin, much like other member of the Trump administration have used before him, to evade directly answering questions about whether the Trump administration wants to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the polls during a future election.
DHS Sec Mullin Comes Up With Some Reasons ICE Might Be Sent to Polls
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin employed a bit of rhetorical spin, much like other member of the Trump administration have used before him, to evade directly answering questions about whether the Trump administration wants to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the polls during a future election.
Mike Johnson Is Talking About Cutting Social Safety Net Programs — Again Original
Austerity only matters when Democrats are in charge. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) signaled this week how Republicans may begin stonewalling and messaging about Democrats should the party succeed in taking back the House this fall.
Trump Demonstrates His Willful Ignorance About How Basic Vote Counting Works Original
The “red mirage” has again tricked President Trump and his followers, who were already salivating for a 2026 election fraud conspiracy theory — ideally one in a blue or purple state — to catch on this midterms cycle. “Tricked” is perhaps too generous a word here.
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