Leah McElrath

Republicans already haunted by their vote to take health care away from millions

Democrats have historically been chided for the speed of their response to breaking news. No such critique will be valid this time. Even before the end of the GOP’s disgraceful beer-soaked celebration of their vote to take health care away from millions of Americans, Democrats jump-started their national, regional, and local campaign to hold every last one of them […]

By Leah McElrath - May 05, 2017

Climate disaster: Trump’s budget targets the Earth

Donald Trump’s White House submitted a budget proposal seemingly designed to contribute to the acceleration of climate change and cause as much long-term harm to the Earth as possible. The Trump budget calls for eliminations of funding for programs related to climate change across various agencies and departments, and for increases in funding for programs that will […]

By Leah McElrath - March 16, 2017

Watch: Lawmakers appear shaken after Comey briefing on Russia

FBI Director James Comey met separately with members of the Senate and House for highly classified briefings. Members went into the briefings looking for a firm answer from the FBI to the question of whether or not their was an ongoing investigation into possible ties between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia but emerged silent […]

By Leah McElrath - March 15, 2017

Trump sells out Israel by announcing he “never mentioned the word Israel” to Russians

In a bizarre moment during a press appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump made his reckless decision to hand over Israel’s classified information to top Russian officials infinitely worse. A reporter asked a question about Trump having shared Israeli intelligence with Russia. Netanyahu covered for Trump, replying, “The intelligence cooperation is terrific!” He then […]

By Leah McElrath - May 22, 2017

GOP intel chair: “Very possible” US intel gathered Russia surveillance directly involving Trump

Correction: The original headline has been changed from GOP Senator to GOP Intel Chair to accurately reflect Rep. Nunes’ role. “It’s very possible” Donald Trump himself might be personally involved as part of the “incidental intelligence” gathered during United States’ government monitoring of the communications of Russian nationals located here. Incidental intelligence is what the […]

By Leah McElrath - March 15, 2017

After logging tiny fraction of Hillary Clinton’s foreign travel, Trump is “exhausted”

During his first trip overseas since the inauguration, Donald Trump was reportedly so fatigued that he made errors and was unable to fulfill his scheduled duties in Saudi Arabia. Trump — who made Hillary Clinton’s “stamina” an issue during the presidential campaign and who repeatedly characterized President Barack Obama as too “exhausted” to do his job […]

By Leah McElrath - May 22, 2017

Ivanka Trump is painfully out of touch with the lives of everyday Americans — just like her dad

Ivanka Trump is out with a new book, undoubtedly intended to humanize her by describing the struggles she faces as a working mom, like so many millions of mothers in America. But recently released excerpts reveal her to be as out-of-touch with the lives and concerns of regular Americans as her father. Of her life on the […]

By Leah McElrath - May 02, 2017

Bannon loses his title but not his power in the White House

When Donald Trump reorganized his National Security Council and removed his political strategist Steve Bannon from an unprecedented permanent seat on the principals committee of the NSC, speculation abounded that Bannon’s power within the White House was waning: .@CillizzaCNN: The removal of Steve Bannon suggests a potentially significant change in the balance of power https://t.co/wzkpH1ga74 […]

By Leah McElrath - April 05, 2017

Republican rep defends health care repeal with sexist attack on Chelsea Clinton and “her mommy”

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) made a shockingly callous statement earlier this week, in defense of the Republicans’ latest plan to repeal health care, insisting that “people who lead good lives” deserve to pay less for health care insurance. As the story of Brooks’ lack of compassion made the rounds of media outlets, Chelsea Clinton tweeted in response: […]

By Leah McElrath - May 02, 2017

China pays Trump’s son-in-law’s company millions ahead of meeting between Trump and Chinese president

Donald Trump plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit next month in the United States. In advance of the meeting, a large Chinese holding company has announced a deal involving the multi-billion dollar real estate development company owned by the family of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and for which Kushner previously served as […]

By Leah McElrath - March 13, 2017

Trump Press Secretary to American woman in Apple Store: “Such a great country that allows you to be here”

While shopping in an Apple Store, an American woman took advantage of a chance meeting with Donald Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, to ask him some questions about his and the Trump administration’s actions: Asking @PressSec questions in Apple Store since he doesn't like the press. https://t.co/l493z2gG4x — Shree ✊🏾❤️🇺🇸 (@shreec) March 11, 2017 Notably, […]

By Leah McElrath - March 12, 2017

I have health coverage for the first time in four years thanks to Obamacare

As of March 1st, I have health coverage for the first time in four years, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. I am 52 years old. I started working when I was 16 and have been self-supporting for almost my entire adult life. Yet, during a temporary period of hardship, I lived in states […]

By Leah McElrath - March 11, 2017

Trump’s failure to fill hundreds of CDC positions endangers millions of lives

Donald Trump has failed to fill almost 700 positions at the Centers for Disease Control, including many vital to emergency preparedness for potential pandemics and epidemics within the United States. While Trump has officially lifted the federal hiring freeze, the White House and its appointees have issued internal directives within even the most critical agencies of […]

By Leah McElrath - May 20, 2017

Hillary Clinton’s famous words become a rallying cry around the world

In 1995, Hillary Clinton spoke before the United Nations Fourth Women’s Conference held in Beijing, China, and boldly declared, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” It is unlikely she could have known then the tremendous impact her speech would have. Yet, more than two decades later, people around the world echoed […]

By Leah McElrath - March 09, 2017

Trump used murderous mercenary buddy for secret Russia meeting

Erik Prince served as an “informal” intermediary between Donald Trump’s team and the royal family of the United Arab Emirates to set up a secret meeting with a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to recent revelations by the Washington Post. Prince, a former Navy SEAL and White House intern under President George H. W. […]

By Leah McElrath - April 04, 2017

Dem rep after Deputy AG briefing: “I believe that there are a number of cover-ups”

If the briefing of the House of Representative by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was meant to assuage worries and bolster confidence in the FBI’s investigation of the Trump administration’s ties to and collusion with Russia, it seems to have been unsuccessful. Following the briefing, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) appeared troubled, expressing a lack […]

By Leah McElrath - May 19, 2017

The resistance has done way more in 100 days than Donald Trump

Have these last 100 days been some of the longest of your life? Are you more exhausted than you thought possible and anxious about the direction the country is heading? If so, you are not alone. But breathe and spend a moment to take this in: Donald Trump has accomplished almost none of his political […]

By Leah McElrath - April 30, 2017

WikiLeaks’ new assist to Trump: Attacking the CIA

During the 2016 presidential campaign, WikiLeaks played an active role in publishing documents to hurt Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump. And with the most recent document dump, it is continuing to help Trump now that he is occupying the White House. Releasing what it calls “Vault 7 Part 1” on Tuesday, March 7th, WikiLeaks […]

By Leah McElrath - March 09, 2017

Shock poll: Clinton voters represent real America

With much of the corporate media hyper-focused on the supposedly “forgotten” Trump voter and what they think about how Donald Trump is doing, it is easy for those who voted for the candidate who actually won the popular vote by over three million votes to feel ignored. One might even say “forgotten.” But Public Policy Polling […]

By Leah McElrath - April 29, 2017

Without a trace of irony, WH says Mar-A-Lago makes Trump accessible to “regular Americans”

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders recently answered queries about Donald Trump’s frequent visits to his Mar-A-Lago estate by asserting that those visits make Trump accessible to “regular Americans.” Mar-A-Lago is a private club with an initial membership fee of $200,000, annual dues of $12,000, and a nightly rate of $1,000. For perspective, $200,000 […]

By Leah McElrath - February 21, 2017

GOP’s Trumpcare has at least one fan: Russian state media

Throughout the campaign and until recently, Russian state media — aka propaganda, outlets like Russia Today and SputnikNews — published supportive and often fawning coverage of Donald Trump’s candidacy and presidency. During the month of January 2017, for instance, Trump received more mentions in Russian state media than Russian President Vladimir Putin. In February, sources reported […]

By Leah McElrath - March 08, 2017

Watch: Intel Dem brilliantly explains why we need an independent commission

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, has been a powerful and consistent voice of opposition to Donald Trump and his corrupt administration. Together with Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, Swawell introduced a bill in January to create a bipartisan independent commission to investigate Russia’s meddling in the presidential election. Every Democratic member of the House […]

By Leah McElrath - May 18, 2017

“C’mon, man”: Democratic leaders shred White House and GOP for Russia cover-up

During a press conference Thursday, Democrats Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called out the White House and the Republican leadership in Congress for engaging in a cover-up with respect to their investigations into ties between the Trump team and Russia. Cummings is the ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee, […]

By Leah McElrath - April 27, 2017

Watching the hearings, I learned my “Bernie bro” harassers may have been Russian bots

When it was revealed during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that Russian bots (computer algorithm controlled social media accounts) on Twitter had masqueraded as “Bernie Bros” during the 2015-2016 election cycle, it was not news to me — it was confirmation of my experience. During the campaign season, I was vocal on Twitter about my […]

By Leah McElrath - April 02, 2017

BOMBSHELL: Trump lied about meeting with Russian officials during campaign

In light of persistent and ongoing concerns about his campaign’s ties to Russia, Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he had met with no Russian officials while he was a candidate for president. However, two reports from early 2016 confirm Trump did in fact meet in person with Russian Ambassador Ivanovich Kislyak during the presidential campaign. Sarah Kogan […]

By Leah McElrath - March 07, 2017

WATCH: former Director of National Intelligence refuses to refute dossier contents, slaps down Trump

During an interview on Monday with ABC’s Brian Ross, former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper spoke at length about his conversation with Donald Trump following the briefing of Trump by FBI Director James Comey on the contents of the supplemental material in conjunction with Trump’s January brief on the Intelligence Community Assessment “Assessing Russian […]

By Leah McElrath - March 07, 2017

Commanding general worried about “stability” of United States under Trump administration

In a highly unusual statement, a currently serving military commander has publicly expressed concern about the political stability of the United States. As reported by the New York Times, Army General Raymond “Tony” Thomas made the following stunning comments: Gen. Tony Thomas, head of the military’s Special Operations Command, expressed concern about upheaval inside the […]

By Leah McElrath - February 15, 2017

Only 1 — yes, 1 — congressional Republican has answered America’s call for special prosecutor

Given all the questions about Donald Trump and his team’s ties to Russia, approximately two-thirds of Americans support the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the matter in the interests of national security and sovereignty. Following Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal from such an investigation — which resulted from pressure after it was discovered Sessions lied […]

By Leah McElrath - March 07, 2017

What you need to know about the Trump kompromat dossier

President-elect Donald Trump and his surrogates continue furiously to try to deflect allegations that Russia possesses compromising materials it could use to influence his actions as president. Even well-meaning news media are sometimes conflating different aspects of this evolving story and using terms incorrectly. Here are the elements we know at present, as well as […]

By Leah McElrath - January 13, 2017

Democrats, scientists unite against order to erase climate change from EPA

Reuters has confirmed that administration officials gave directions to the Environmental Protection Agency to delete its webpages on climate change. Such a deletion endangers years of scientific research on global warming and emissions, much of it funded by U.S. taxpayers. As one EPA staffer told Reuters, “If the website goes dark, years of work we have […]

By Leah McElrath - January 26, 2017

Leah McElrath

Social Media Director

Republicans already haunted by their vote to take health care away from millions

Climate disaster: Trump’s budget targets the Earth

Watch: Lawmakers appear shaken after Comey briefing on Russia

Trump sells out Israel by announcing he “never mentioned the word Israel” to Russians

GOP intel chair: “Very possible” US intel gathered Russia surveillance directly involving Trump

After logging tiny fraction of Hillary Clinton’s foreign travel, Trump is “exhausted”

Ivanka Trump is painfully out of touch with the lives of everyday Americans — just like her dad

Bannon loses his title but not his power in the White House

Republican rep defends health care repeal with sexist attack on Chelsea Clinton and “her mommy”

China pays Trump’s son-in-law’s company millions ahead of meeting between Trump and Chinese president

Trump Press Secretary to American woman in Apple Store: “Such a great country that allows you to be here”

I have health coverage for the first time in four years thanks to Obamacare

Trump’s failure to fill hundreds of CDC positions endangers millions of lives

Hillary Clinton’s famous words become a rallying cry around the world

Trump used murderous mercenary buddy for secret Russia meeting

Dem rep after Deputy AG briefing: “I believe that there are a number of cover-ups”

The resistance has done way more in 100 days than Donald Trump

WikiLeaks’ new assist to Trump: Attacking the CIA

Shock poll: Clinton voters represent real America

Without a trace of irony, WH says Mar-A-Lago makes Trump accessible to “regular Americans”

GOP’s Trumpcare has at least one fan: Russian state media

Watch: Intel Dem brilliantly explains why we need an independent commission

“C’mon, man”: Democratic leaders shred White House and GOP for Russia cover-up

Watching the hearings, I learned my “Bernie bro” harassers may have been Russian bots

BOMBSHELL: Trump lied about meeting with Russian officials during campaign

WATCH: former Director of National Intelligence refuses to refute dossier contents, slaps down Trump

Commanding general worried about “stability” of United States under Trump administration

Only 1 — yes, 1 — congressional Republican has answered America’s call for special prosecutor

What you need to know about the Trump kompromat dossier

Democrats, scientists unite against order to erase climate change from EPA