Editing Congress stuff at @POLITICO. Previously @playbookdc, @washingtonpost, @wcp.
Washington, D.C., USA
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
This was the NYT's tweet at 6:08 am, when the news was breaking and they had no details. It's currently leading the site with more details, because... they reported and got more details.
We went through this when people were FURIOUS with headlines about how Trump was taken offstage when shots were heard in Butler... because the reporters didn't immediately say what they confirmed five minutes later.
“The present political chaos is connected with the decay of language,” - George Orwell.
Writers intentionally use certain language because they understand words carry meaning and can shape the narrative. This isn’t an accident.
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Another reason why it's dumb D.C. gov has to follow the federal Oct. 1 fiscal year rather than the July 1 fiscal year basically every state and locality uses.
DC Students: Last year’s Kids Ride Free card expires today!
This is your friendly reminder to pick up your new 2026-2027 card from your school admin if you haven’t already! Then be sure to add it to your mobile wallet so you never leave home without it. 📱🏫
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This @riley_rogerson joint is for all you Patch alums out there. (Looking at you, @willsommer.)
politico.com/news/2026/09/30…
The source of Brian Fitzpatrick’s campaign ad attack fodder: A guest at his own wedding
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We've been headed in this direction for a while, but a Senate Israel vote being 99% polarized feels like a moment.
via @calenrazor
politico.com/live-updates/20…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
A wild @AidenReiter scoop.
The CFTC is investigating @AdamKinzinger for @Kalshi trading tied to his pardon by Biden.
Kinzinger tells us he made the trades after leaving office and they were in accordance with Kalshi’s rules, making him $823.
politico.com/news/2026/09/29…
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Right, so the conspiracy is that Jack Smith somehow arranged the bombshell disclosure that ended up destroying the case against Trump? Huh?
Obviously the Hawks/Hawkeyes misfire is the headline here, but also not to be lost ... Even if Smith *was* at the game in Atlanta, what would that prove? Without any evidence that Smith or Willis spoke at the game, was the whole allegation just that they were both in the same city at the same time? Not really much of a bombshell even if he had gotten the teams right.
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
NEW: It's hard these days for members of Congress to transcend the news cycle with viral moments in committee hearings.
Sen. Schmitt today raised the bar with an allegation against Jack Smith that imploded in real time.
w/ @ChrisMarquette_
politico.com/news/2026/09/29…
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I suspect this is going to be a moment that some people will associate with Schmitt for a long time -- a la Hank Johnson and the capsizing of Guam.
NEW: Sen. Eric Schmitt exposed Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan.
Schmitt's erroneous effort to catch Smith in a lie resulted in Smith confirming he went to see Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes play the Terrapins in Maryland in 2023.
w/ @ChrisMarquette_
politico.com/live-updates/20…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
Republicans scheme to block Trump’s funding cancellations
Unable to stop Trump from nixing $810 million, some lawmakers are hoping to head off another attempt
w/ @JAscholtes
politico.com/news/2026/09/28…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
FRIDAY NIGHT POCKET RESCISSION
Trump declares $1B canceled in ‘pocket rescission’ marking another affront to Congress’ power of the purse
Senate Approps Chair Susan Collins is big mad, calling it "a clear violation of the law"
w/ @JAscholtes
politico.com/news/2026/09/25…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
New — House Dems sent a health care wishlist to Hakeem Jeffries
@simonjlevien obtained an 84-page agenda of Dems’ potential health policy plans. It was crafted by a working group led by Reps. AOC and Terri Sewell.
No consensus on Medicare for All.
politico.com/news/2026/09/25…
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Along with KY06, VA01 will be the early-reporting race to watch around 8 p.m. on Nov. 3...
WILLIAMSBURG — Virginia got all the attention, until state Supremes rejected its 10-1 map.
That’s gonna change. The legendary 2nd District is again a battleground.
But South/East of Richmond is 1st, where Wittman has coasted for 20 years.
My @washingtonsun column …
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No prior short-form video has ever stank so gloriously of garlic
Mitch Landrieu said that Biden was an excellent president but ultimately should have chosen not to seek reelection.
“In retrospect, it was a mistake,” the former New Orleans mayor told our @jmart.
Watch his full interview: vist.ly/5jpci
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
NEW: House Republicans for decades have prided themselves on their strict three-term limit for committee leaders, saying it promotes fresh blood in the party ranks.
But as that limit has grown less strict, and a growing number of GOP lawmakers are aching for a crackdown. Multiple GOP chairs are asking the influential Steering Committee to extend their terms as the top R on their panels.
Depending on the outcome of the midterms — and the subsequent GOP leadership elections — Steering could also see an influx of younger members who might be even less inclined to give longtime committee leaders a two-year extension.
“They don’t owe the old guys anything,” Rep. Rich McCormick told me in an interview. “They don’t see seniority as the main thing anymore, because even leadership is pretty young. So this is a whole new generation.”
Read my breakdown of the dynamics at play in this behind-the-scenes battle: politico.com/news/2026/09/24…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
NEW: A POLITICO reporter was denied access to the White House Thursday and his press credentials confiscated after a judge ordered the Trump administration overnight to immediately restore access for news organizations that President Donald Trump banned from the complex last week. politico.com/news/2026/09/24…
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Just incredible "if only there were something we could do" vibes in this story
New: Senate Rs are expected to discuss the schedule at lunch today
Broad expectation among Rs that they will leave town by the end of this week until after the midterms, multiple senators told @politico
But schedule slightly in flux as permitting talks continue to spin and several Rs floating affordability-related legislation they could do next
politico.com/news/2026/09/22…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
News w/ @Owen_Dahlkamp: Grassley is trying to get consent to pass his AI whistleblower protection act before the Senate leaves, per two people
If someone privately objects, he may go to the floor and try to UC live:
politico.com/live-updates/20…
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Mike Lee's SAVE America crusade hasn't made a mark on the Senate. But if GOP keeps the majority, he could be in position to grant another big Trump wish.
@jordainc @ChrisMarquette_
politico.com/news/2026/09/22…
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Mike DeBonis retweeted
Joint statement from the Standing and Executive Committees of Correspondents of Capitol Hill:
ALT The Congressional Standing and Executive Committees of Correspondents stand in solidarity with the White House Correspondents’ Association and journalists from CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW whose access to the White House has been revoked by President Donald Trump in recent days. We in the Congressional press corps believe that resident press corps, whether on Capitol Hill or at the White House, play an important role in delivering vital news to the American people. Our committees stand behind the principle that the government does not decide what the press publishes or reports. We join the WHCA's call for the administration to immediately restore White House press access for reporters from CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW.
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