Michael Kruse
@michaelkruse.bsky.social
Senior staff writer, POLITICO, POLITICO Magazine. michaelkruse.bio
"Well, most of the highest-profile efforts have been focused on blue cities — Chicago, Minneapolis, Charlotte and the Research Triangle in North Carolina, and Los Angeles — so any nearby suburban swing seats for the House are certainly places where this issue could be more resonant."
ICE Tensions Are Raging. What’s the Political Fallout?
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:57 PM
"Well, most of the highest-profile efforts have been focused on blue cities — Chicago, Minneapolis, Charlotte and the Research Triangle in North Carolina, and Los Angeles — so any nearby suburban swing seats for the House are certainly places where this issue could be more resonant."
Pete Buttigieg: “Things are not going well in the United States of America.”
Buttigieg and Booker Lead Push to Hammer Republicans on Health Care
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Pete Buttigieg: “Things are not going well in the United States of America.”
“You do not save democracy by running around, yelling about saving democracy. You do it by demonstrating that democracy and Democratic values deliver better quality of life for normal people.”
Opinion | This Rural Congresswoman Thinks Democrats Have Lost Their Minds. She Has a Point.
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:35 PM
“You do not save democracy by running around, yelling about saving democracy. You do it by demonstrating that democracy and Democratic values deliver better quality of life for normal people.”
“All of what’s happening in this city has everything to do with my administration. It’s so easy to attach a white face to the work of a Black person.”
San Francisco Is On the Rebound. What Happened to Its Ousted Mayor?
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:26 PM
“All of what’s happening in this city has everything to do with my administration. It’s so easy to attach a white face to the work of a Black person.”
Enjoyed this from Kurt Streeter.
In a Typewriter Repair Shop, a Reporter Finds a Familiar Hum
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Enjoyed this from Kurt Streeter.
“The Democratic Party needs to nominate a Democratic governor,” @govandybeshear.bsky.social tells @politico.com.
“I’m a guy who has won three straight statewide elections in a Trump plus-30 state. I think it’s a mixture of both electability and the idea that, here’s somebody that not only could win in a purple state, he wins in a red state.”
Here’s Andy Beshear’s Case for President
The Kentucky governor is laying out an early argument for why he could be Democrats’ best bet in 2028.
www.politico.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:11 PM
“The Democratic Party needs to nominate a Democratic governor,” @govandybeshear.bsky.social tells @politico.com.
“I’m a guy who has won three straight statewide elections in a Trump plus-30 state. I think it’s a mixture of both electability and the idea that, here’s somebody that not only could win in a purple state, he wins in a red state.”
Here’s Andy Beshear’s Case for President
The Kentucky governor is laying out an early argument for why he could be Democrats’ best bet in 2028.
www.politico.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:07 PM
“I’m a guy who has won three straight statewide elections in a Trump plus-30 state. I think it’s a mixture of both electability and the idea that, here’s somebody that not only could win in a purple state, he wins in a red state.”
“And so I don’t think anyone will be able to look at Kirk 100 percent seriously now.”
Charlie Kirk Memes Are Taking Over the Internet
People online are using AI to faceswap the conservative influencer’s face onto everything and everyone. It could be changing his legacy.
www.politico.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:39 PM
“And so I don’t think anyone will be able to look at Kirk 100 percent seriously now.”
“It’s very, very hard to correct and to track public opinion if the way that you track public opinion is through Twitter.”
MAGA Is Discovering the Downsides of X
And it’s not just Elon.
www.politico.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:37 PM
“It’s very, very hard to correct and to track public opinion if the way that you track public opinion is through Twitter.”
POLITICO Weekend.
Cancel culture comes to UATX
After more than 100 conversations with current and former students, faculty and staffers, Evan Mandery found nearly unanimous lamentations that the “anti-woke” institution is becoming something far mo...
www.politico.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:17 PM
POLITICO Weekend.
“I concede that some of the stories are bizarre; some of the stories may make you want to day drink; but all of the stories are true.”
How a G.O.P. Senator Quietly Became a Best-Selling Author
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:53 PM
“I concede that some of the stories are bizarre; some of the stories may make you want to day drink; but all of the stories are true.”
“We have a strong and clear path to winning the Senate in 2026,” @schumer.senate.gov tells @shanegoldmacher.bsky.social.
Chuck Schumer Calls His Shot
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:51 PM
“We have a strong and clear path to winning the Senate in 2026,” @schumer.senate.gov tells @shanegoldmacher.bsky.social.
Slotkin: “People are not watching the daily news cycle. They don’t know who’s for an issue, who’s against an issue — they just know it’s not working for them, and they’re mad at everybody.”
What Voters Told Democrats About ICE, Costs and Which Party Is ‘Judgy’
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Slotkin: “People are not watching the daily news cycle. They don’t know who’s for an issue, who’s against an issue — they just know it’s not working for them, and they’re mad at everybody.”
“And given the administration’s tendency to blunder, to bully, to overstep and to develop factual predicates inadequately, not to mention the president’s always-legally unhelpful social media activity ...”
Did a Supreme Court Loss Embolden Trump on the Insurrection Act?
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:24 PM
“And given the administration’s tendency to blunder, to bully, to overstep and to develop factual predicates inadequately, not to mention the president’s always-legally unhelpful social media activity ...”
“Instead, he got the sycophants lining up, saying, ‘That’s great, we’re going to take over a sovereign nation,’ which is silly on stilts.”
Column | Thom Tillis wants you to know something: ‘I’m sick of stupid’
The North Carolina Republican has been at the forefront this month of staking out anti-MAGA ground and criticizing Trump’s aides.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:19 PM
“Instead, he got the sycophants lining up, saying, ‘That’s great, we’re going to take over a sovereign nation,’ which is silly on stilts.”
“We’re in a time when looking over your shoulder is just about the only way to look.”
Journalists confront new reality in reporting after FBI raid
Many saw the FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home as a jarring new step aimed at limiting their ability to gather information.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:15 PM
“We’re in a time when looking over your shoulder is just about the only way to look.”
“This is a move away from the kind of transparency and traditional reporting that you would hope for from Stars and Stripes.”
Pentagon to overhaul independent military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’
Plans for more Defense Department control of Stars and Stripes surface after job seekers were asked about their commitment to President Donald Trump’s policies.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:12 PM
“This is a move away from the kind of transparency and traditional reporting that you would hope for from Stars and Stripes.”
“He said, ‘I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe.’ After that, we don’t hear his voice anymore and that’s it.”
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
A fellow detainee says he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards at the ICE detention center in Texas on Jan. 3.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:09 PM
“He said, ‘I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe.’ After that, we don’t hear his voice anymore and that’s it.”
“If you demoralize a small percentage of pro-lifers, even if it is only 2 percent of the total electorate in swing districts, that is devastation.”
“President Trump’s call for Republicans to be ‘flexible’ has set in motion a dangerous course that threatens to set the pro-life movement back a generation, undermining the genuine good achieved during his presidency.”
Abortion opponents threaten to withhold midterm support amid rift with Trump
Amid concerns about the president's actions, abortion opponents are threatening to redirect or withhold campaign spending and withdraw their volunteer armies in the midterms.
www.politico.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:06 PM
“If you demoralize a small percentage of pro-lifers, even if it is only 2 percent of the total electorate in swing districts, that is devastation.”
“President Trump’s call for Republicans to be ‘flexible’ has set in motion a dangerous course that threatens to set the pro-life movement back a generation, undermining the genuine good achieved during his presidency.”
Abortion opponents threaten to withhold midterm support amid rift with Trump
Amid concerns about the president's actions, abortion opponents are threatening to redirect or withhold campaign spending and withdraw their volunteer armies in the midterms.
www.politico.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:04 PM
“President Trump’s call for Republicans to be ‘flexible’ has set in motion a dangerous course that threatens to set the pro-life movement back a generation, undermining the genuine good achieved during his presidency.”
“There are dog whistles everywhere,” @zelizer.bsky.social tells @politico.com. “When you see it again, and you see it despite the continued criticism of them doing this, it’s fair to be suspicious that they’re trying to rile people up.”
About that ‘Greenland Man’ post
www.politico.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:56 PM
“There are dog whistles everywhere,” @zelizer.bsky.social tells @politico.com. “When you see it again, and you see it despite the continued criticism of them doing this, it’s fair to be suspicious that they’re trying to rile people up.”
TYFYATTM.
Why Trump Always Thanks You ‘For Your Attention to This Matter’
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:13 PM
TYFYATTM.
“The last thing we need to do, again, is to make the same mistake when it comes to ‘Defund the Police’ rhetoric. That ended up not actually helping communicate what people wanted. People want a slimmed-down ICE that is truly focused on security,” says @gallego.senate.gov.
Abolish ICE? It’s a Slogan Some Democratic Critics of ICE Would Abolish.
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:07 PM
“The last thing we need to do, again, is to make the same mistake when it comes to ‘Defund the Police’ rhetoric. That ended up not actually helping communicate what people wanted. People want a slimmed-down ICE that is truly focused on security,” says @gallego.senate.gov.
“He frames each protest movement in terms of himself.”
Trump Supports the Protesters, Except Those Protesting Him
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:03 PM
“He frames each protest movement in terms of himself.”
How to be a Latin American Dictator Trump Ignores.
How to be a Latin American Dictator Trump Ignores
Nicaraguan cooperation on fighting drugs may be saving the regime from Trump’s ire.
www.politico.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:27 PM
How to be a Latin American Dictator Trump Ignores.