Is MAGA Dying?
Thanks to the hundreds of you who made calls for Vote Yes for Virginia last night!
Morning all. Let’s review some headlines to start our day:
Europe’s right-wing leaders are distancing themselves from Trump - Washington Post
Public health veteran is Trump’s pick to lead CDC as administration shifts tone on vaccines - CNN
Acting ICE chief Todd Lyons resigns, a year into Trump’s deportation campaign - Washington Post (Noem, Bovino, Lyons all gone)
Less than a year after being fired, former FEMA chief is set to be reinstalled by Trump - CNN
Pope Leo takes aim at ‘handful of tyrants’ spending billions on war amid tensions with Trump - NPR
Investors are underestimating global economic impacts of Iran war, top executives warn - Semafor
Iran deal could take six months, Gulf and Europe leaders say - Semafor
Trump Voters Are Over It: A shocking number of the president’s supporters have turned against him - The Atlantic
The Trump-Putin campaign to weaken Zelenskyy and give Ukraine to Putin has backfired. Russia can no longer win the war (just as we cannot win in Iran), and Zelenskyy has turned into one of the most powerful and inspirational leaders in the world today:
As I shared with you yesterday the Fall of Orban and the rise of Peter Magyar is also a devastating blow to Greater MAGA:
Democrats continue to dramatically outperform their 2024 election results in races of all kinds all across the country. Last night it was Jessica Mejia in the special election in NJ-11 to replace Mikie Sherrill:
Where the greatest evidence of the decay and weakening of the regime can now be found is in the extraordinary level of disarray and dysfunction on the Hill. Yesterday, in a dramatic rebuke of Trump on his signature issue, 10 House Rs joined with Democrats to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians now in the US.
Then last night, Mike Johnson in another rebuke of Trump, was unable to stop a House GOP rebellion against Trump’s warrantless FISA bill. Here’s Punchbowl’s reporting, The FISA flop, plus Republicans can’t stop fighting each other. Please read every word of this. It’s astonishing:
An audacious play by Speaker Mike Johnson to pass a five-year extension of Section 702 of FISA failed spectacularly just before 1:30 a.m., leaving House GOP leaders firmly stuck over how to address concerns from rank-and-file Republicans on the surveillance program.
House Republicans saved face — kind of — with a unanimous consent passage of a two-week extension of FISA authorities. But that wasn’t before the Johnson-authored compromise was rejected by a dozen Republicans.
In a nod to far-right hardliners, GOP leaders posted a compromise FISA amendment just before 11 p.m. that would’ve strengthened criminal penalties for misuse of the program; included some warrant language that Democrats say merely codifies existing law; and enhanced congressional access to the FISA courts.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), a Freedom Caucus member who led the charge for the warrant changes, called it a “solid bill” and urged lawmakers to “support the bill we have hammered out.”
Higgins’ plea was for naught. A group of Republicans rebelled on the floor and soundly rejected Johnson’s compromise, joining with Democrats to vote it down by a 200-220 margin.
An eclectic mix of Republicans rejected Johnson’s proposal: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Andy Harris (Md.), Darin LaHood (Ill.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa), Zach Nunn (Iowa), Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Scott Perry (Pa.), John Rose (Tenn.), Keith Self (Texas), Mike Turner (Ohio) and Jeff Van Drew (N.J.).
Rebellious Republicans then joined with Democrats again to vote down a rule to consider the clean, 18-month FISA extension originally sought by President Donald Trump and GOP leaders. Twenty Republicans voted no on a rule — a remarkable rejection.
Led by Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), top Democrat on the Rules Committee, Democrats blasted Johnson and Republican leaders for the proposed five-year FISA extension. After hours of private GOP-only meetings trying to broker a deal, Republican leaders had suddenly announced they were ready to vote. But some of the proposed FISA changes were hand-written into the bill text: “Does anybody actually know what the hell is in this thing?” McGovern complained.
“This is too damn important to do it this way,” McGovern added. “Your own members don’t know what the hell you’re doing … This process is embarrassing. This majority is incompetent.”
So after all of that, Johnson and the White House will have to spend the next two weeks trying to figure out just what the Trump administration can accept that could also pass the House. The basic fact is that the majority of the House is for warrant requirements. So Johnson is going to have to figure out either how to work with Republicans to get something passed or work with Democrats, who have their own reform language.
The larger point. Republicans just can’t stop fighting with Republicans.
On every issue in front of Congress, the GOP seems to be locked in a circular firing squad. And it’s not only within the House Republican Conference. It’s the House and Senate as well.
House and Senate Republicans aren’t just on different wavelengths, they’re living in entirely different universes. This all comes while Trump’s poll numbers are sinking, GOP moderates are warring with MAGA, and Republican control of both chambers — especially the House — is in danger of being swept away in November.
The list of problems is continuing to grow: the DHS shutdown, budget reconciliation for ICE and Border Patrol funding, a housing bill, FISA, the SAVE America Act, the filibuster, appropriations and more.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Johnson met for their weekly in-person sitdown on Wednesday. When asked if they’re on the same page on the more pressing issues facing them, Thune responded: “Yeah, as much as we can be.”
“We both have fairly narrow majorities — his even more narrow,” Thune added. “So we’re just trying to figure out pathways to get stuff done. Nothing about it is easy.”
But the cascading set of disputes between the two chambers is threatening to worsen what’s already a tough midterm outlook for Republicans. The Iran war is unpopular, gas prices are rising and vulnerable GOP lawmakers need help.
Republican leaders desperately want to be talking about what they see as the benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill, especially around Tax Day. Instead, they’re forced to deal with head-spinning tensions with the other chamber. Plus, Trump — who controls everything within the GOP — is nowhere to be found or venting about other issues that don’t help vulnerable lawmakers at all.
When asked about Trump’s latest musings, Thune said “there are a lot of distractions around here” and “the more strategic play” is to tout the tax cuts, adding that Trump can be a “compelling messenger” on those issues. Trump was in Las Vegas on Thursday for an event focused on “no tax on tips.”
Here’s the home page of The Hill right now:
The simplest way to explain what is happening here is that MAGA has failed, Republicans have begun waking up to the governing and electoral disaster Trump has created for them, and furious, desperate, clumsy efforts are now underway to course correct, distance, find a new path from the catastrophe of MAGA/Project 2025/Trumpism. To use Hopium language Republicans are growing increasingly weary of defending the indefensible, and with seven months before the election - a life time - they were always unlikely to accept becoming Thelma and Louise. There are limits to loyalty when political careers and party power are on the line - as Joe Biden discovered in 2024 - and in this case when the failure is so clear, and his public behavior - attacking the Pope, repeated blasphemies - has become so outrageous and ridiculous. In recent days even one of Trump’s most staunch defenders in Europe, Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has broken with him, and he with her:
I don’t know what happens now but I think MAGA is dying under the weight of its extremism, its many manifest failures, its clear betrayal of America and the American people, and of its soaring unpopularity. Trump may be in the process of killing the ideological movement he founded over ten years ago.
It’s why we should be pleased with what our opposition movement has been able to do - they are running from some of their most extremist and destructive policies - but of course our job now is to prevent them from memory holing all that they’ve done by using their $1 Billion in coming SuperPAC spending, something that worked for them in 2024.
Our next job is to win the Virginia Vote Yes ballot initiative on Tuesday. Thanks to the hundreds of you who called with us last night. Here’s what the team at Network NOVA and Rural Groundgame sent me:
We made 94,000 dials and had almost 8,000 conversations. (That’s right: nearly 8,000!) Better yet, we convinced 24% of undecided voters to either vote YES or lean towards voting YES! Many of you continue to report that your conversations successfully corrected misinformation among voters, who then become highly motivated to help us get out the vote for YES! Thank you all!
For those who want to keep calling our allies are having a phonebank this afternoon at 4pm with our friend Ben Wikler as a guest. Sign up here to keep making calls, and head to the main campaign website for more volunteer opportunities this weekend!
And yes, my friends, we can’t stop there, and…..
Need To Keep Working It Everyone!!!!
Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map
Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $572,300 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new ambitious, audacious even, q2 goal) - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with one click | You can meet and get to know these House flipping candidates by watching our recently recorded Hopium interviews with each.
So far we’ve sat down with Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and should rounding out the rest in the coming weeks. If you are looking for inspiration this weekend watch a few of these interviews - I promise they great candidates will get you excited about our opportunities this November!
Huge shout-out to the team at FridayAction. Our recent event together has now raised $97,000 for our House candidates - amazing, amazing stuff! That total is included in our new remarkable fundraising total, as is the money given to each individual House candidate in recent weeks.
James Talarico For Texas - $58,500 raised, $250,000 - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my inspiring interview with Rep. Talarico as he fights to turn Texas blue
Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $84,200 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and Learn More | Enjoy my uplifting conversation with Mary Peltola as she fights to turn Alaska blue
Winning Ohio - $122,700 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party. Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue, and watch my new discussion with our good friend David Pepper, now our candidate for Lt. Gov in Ohio. This total includes $21,00 sent by a Hopium community member directly to each of our three Buckeye State partners!
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $105,300 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my new discussion with Gov. Cooper as he fights to turn North Carolina blue
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $167,300 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $521,300 raised, $750,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, all now central battlegrounds in the 2026 election. Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up!
Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $20,000 to each of our five state parties over the past two years.
Advocate For The Hopium Agenda/Pass Resolutions Of Condemnation In Your Community
There are a few more ways to go to work in the coming days - call your leaders and advocate for elements of our working, ever evolving Hopium Agenda; bring resolutions that condemn our Mad King and lets facts be spoken to a candid world to your state or local government.
Here’s our working Hopium Post-Iran Disaster Agenda:
Work to end this new gulf war and Trump’s Imperial global ambitions
Support Ukraine and Europe, not Russia
Roll back the new, illegal tariffs
Rescind the Trump tax cuts, claw back the extra ICE funding, fund the IRS so it can collect the taxes the rich are hiding from us
Make the US a clean energy superpower, fight for true energy independence, and lower utility and energy prices for the American people
Rein in ICE, end Mass Deportation
End Trump’s destructive war on science, research, our health scare system and our public Health
Make clear to American farmers that we want to end the failed war, repeal the terrible tariffs, find legal pathways for farm workers, and make health care and energy more affordable
This week our calls should clearly focus on reining in the illegal war in the Middle East and ICE here at home, and rescinding the tariffs that are doing so much damage to our economy.
And please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.
Keep working hard all. We have a country to save and an election to win, together - Simon
Congratulations to President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine !! Slava Ukraini !!
I see a glimmer! 👀✨️
Thanks Simon Rosenberg!