November 14, 2026 at 10:34 AM EST
Back To the Electoral College, And Why Getting Rid of It Is a Big Mistake

Back To the Electoral College, And Why Getting Rid of It Is a Big Mistake As the dust settled on the 2026 midterm elections, a number of stories were published noting that states now fully under Democratic control include enough electoral votes to make the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact a reality. To review, this is the plan, devised in the aftermath of 2000 presidential election, that would allow an end-run around the Electoral College. A sufficient number of states agree to award their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote regardless of how their own voters voted in that particular state. Once a sufficient number of states agree, it's done. The effect of the Electoral College disappears even as its architecture remains.

November 14, 2026 at 8:00 AM EST
The Call is Coming From Inside the White House

The Call is Coming From Inside the White House [Report] Crank Phone Call President Donald Trump is a long time fan and first time caller.

November 13, 2026 at 10:04 PM EST
Finding the Signal in the Noise of NVIDIA-Gate

Finding the Signal in the Noise of NVIDIA-Gate Earlier this evening, I was exchanging notes with TPM Reader NH and I told him this: "I've had a very hard time today trying to put all of this into a coherent whole. Part of me thinks you've got a bunch of highly questionable stuff happening, at least semi-corrupt, very questionable behavior on NVIDIA's part vis a vis China, some intentional slow-rolling from Commerce for very questionable reasons. And a lot of it is at least loosely known to a lot of people. Then the Times publicly confirms the relationship and U.S. assumption that Alice Huang is a spy. And then everyone runs for cover -- even though a lot of the stuff surrounding that relationship was at least semi-known. I don't know if this is a plausible way to look at it. But in a way I'm not sure she even needs to exist for a lot of this stuff to happen?"

November 13, 2026 at 4:08 PM EST
Van Hollen Says the Filibuster Should Go

Van Hollen Says the Filibuster Should Go As I've noted, these leadership challenges don't mean a lot if they don't include abolishing the filibuster. This afternoon Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who just announced what remains a fairly longshot challenge to Chuck Schumer, says he supports getting rid of it.

November 13, 2026 at 1:47 PM EST
There's More Here Than We Thought

There's More Here Than We Thought This is just a general observation. When I first started following the NVIDIA scandal, I had the sense that Jensen Huang was either duped by these cut-out companies sending NVIDIA chips (physically or virtually) to China, or perhaps he was beguiled by Alice Huang, the suspected Chinese spy. But it's very hard to square that basic take with the various reports we're seeing. This is just a general observation. When I first started following the NVIDIA scandal, I had the sense that Jensen Huang was either duped by these cut-out companies sending NVIDIA chips (physically or virtually) to China, or perhaps he was beguiled by Alice Huang, the suspected Chinese spy. But it's very hard to square that basic take with the various reports we're seeing.

November 13, 2026 at 1:09 PM EST
No Room on the Lifeboat " Admin Sharks Circle Lutnick

No Room on the Lifeboat " Admin Sharks Circle Lutnick The attempt to pin the NVIDIA-Huang spy scandal on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is galloping forward. Earlier today Treasury Scott Bessent went on CNBC and squarely laid the blame on Lutnick for slow-rolling and loosely enforcing export controls on NVIDIA chips. This is no different from the accusations we've been hearing about from unnamed sources in numerous reports. But going public and laying blame on CNBC is a whole 'nother thing. This Journal article goes deeper into the specifics of the accusations, Lutnick's apparently fairly close relationship to Jensen Huang and other details of this internal administration battle.

November 13, 2026 at 11:59 AM EST
Going Live at 1 PM

Going Live at 1 PM TPM's Untitled Live Show (Name TBD) returns today at 1 p.m. ET. If you think you've read all there is to be said about the Nvidia boss' sex scandal, resignation and the ways in which it makes the Trump administration look wet behind the ears, just wait.

November 13, 2026 at 11:56 AM EST
Why the Trump DOJ Is More of a Wreck Than Ever

Why the Trump DOJ Is More of a Wreck Than Ever A Two-Tiered Justice Department Before jumping into the news, I wanted to frame up quickly how to think about the current structure of the Justice Department as we head into the second half of Trump II.

November 13, 2026 at 9:31 AM EST
The Filibuster Runs Deep. Very Deep.

The Filibuster Runs Deep. Very Deep. I went back and forth with a number of people yesterday about the filibuster and the leadership contest in the Senate Democratic caucus yesterday. You want Van Hollen because among other reasons, some contended, he gets you closer to getting rid of the filibuster. Don't be so sure of that. I want to show you something that popped up yesterday in my Twitter feed that is a good example of why. TPM alum Sahil Kapur posted this clip of Bernie Sanders getting asked about the filibuster. The answer isn't great. I'm not picking on Sanders here. I'm flagging this precisely because Sanders is a key player making this leadership contest possible and people imagine, with some good reason, that Sanders is most willing to upend conventions, take on establishment thinking, etc. It's an example of how deep filibuster thinking runs.

November 13, 2026 at 8:13 AM EST
Chuck Schumer Gets a Challenge For Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer Gets a Challenge For Majority Leader Van Hollen is Officially Running After several days of saying he was considering it, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, officially announced last night that he would challenge Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for majority leader.

November 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM EST
Trump Forces Vance to Focus on His Retribution Campaign -- Not 2028

Trump Forces Vance to Focus on His Retribution Campaign -- Not 2028 Trump Scuttles Vance's Ambitions In the hours after the bloodbath for Republicans that was the midterms, and the effective scattering of the MAGA movement as we've known it, Vice President JD Vance took to social media to express, in a lengthy post, his "honest" belief that the war in Iran was the reason the GOP endured a thorough routing in states across the nation.

November 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM EST
Montana Republicans Immediately Sue After Voters Pass Anti-Citizens United Measure

Montana Republicans Immediately Sue After Voters Pass Anti-Citizens United Measure 'Here We Go Again' With 'Silencing Peoples' Voices' Voters last week emphatically passed the "Montana Plan," a ballot item that would ban corporations from spending money on local, state and federal elections.