Friday’s FEC filings cement Musk’s status as the biggest political donor of the recent presidential cycle at a moment when he has amassed an extraordinary amount of power as a member of Trump’s inner circle — and decried by critics as a de facto, unelected co-president. He is also a driving force behind the effort to shrink the size of the federal workforce, helping to engineer a controversial offer this week to hundreds of thousands of career civil servants to quit their jobs and get paid through September. The staggering...

Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), former Vice President Harris’s running mate in the 2024 election, said losing the contest was “pure hell.” Walz joined MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow for his first interview since President Trump’s November victory, where he was asked about Trump’s first week in office and the federal funding freeze that has sparked widespread concern. Asked about what kind of “pushback” Democrats should have in this moment, Walz did not hold back. “You know, that overused term ‘the frog in the boiling water,’ we’ve been in the damn pot way...

President Trump celebrated Florida state Sen. Randy Fine’s (R) primary win on Tuesday, hailing the lawmaker for his call to progressive Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to “consider leaving” Congress if he ends up being elected to the chamber. Fine is favorited to succeed former Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who vacated his seat representing the Sunshine State’s 6th Congressional District after Trump tapped him to serve as national security adviser. Trump posted a photo of him and Fine on Truth Social Tuesday that says: “Randy Fine wins”...

Former Vice President Harris made a substantial effort to get on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast amid concerns about her traction with male voters — going so far as to plan a Houston rally to justify a stop at Rogan’s Austin studio, according to a forthcoming book. In the final weeks of the election, the Harris team was in talks to sit down with the media personality, whose reps insisted that the interview take place at his home base in Austin, as reported in an excerpt from NBC News’s Jonathan Allen...

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis (R) was projected to win the Republican primary in the state’s first congressional district, making him a favorite to win the general election in April, according to Decision Desk HQ. Patronis is running to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who resigned from Congress. The congressional district is one of the most conservative in the state. Gaetz easily won reelection in November, carrying 66 percent of the vote. The district, which is located in the state’s western panhandle, includes Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and...

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is shifting toward “the middle” of the political spectrum, marking a noticeable change from the festival’s past. This year’s festival is screening the first two episodes of a documentary series Bucks County, USA, which aims to explore the political divide within the nation amid people coming together despite their political differences. Paul Martino, the founder of both Bullpen Capital and the political action committee Back to School PA, called the selection to show the documentary “fascinating” due to how “it really looks like” the film...

Democratic strategist James Carville said Democrats need to let President Trump “punch himself out.” In remarks on MSNBC on Friday, Carville recalled Muhammad Ali, noting he would go six or seven rounds before coming in and “launching bombs.” “What we have to learn is Democrats, just let him punch himself out,” Carville said in the interview with MSNBC’s Katie Phang. Carville argued that it’s difficult to let Trump hurt himself politically as he continues to highlight “distractions” like acquiring Greenland. “But you just got to keep bobbing and weaving and...