Trump Erupts in Fury as GOPers Humiliatingly Defy His Plot to Rig 2026

 

Today: "Podcast: Trump Erupts in Fury as GOPers Humiliatingly Defy His Plot to Rig 2026" Plus, Democrats flipped offices in Miami and Georgia; Trump accidentally sabotages case for bombings; the racist worldview behind the new vaccine recommendations; and more... For Once, the Supreme Court May Not Give Republicans What They Want Republicans are looking to the justices to remove a key campaign finance restriction. Most of the court’s right-wing majority doesn’t seem to want to play along. By Matt Ford

Explore the World With TNR The New Republic’s travel program is designed in the spirit of our political, social, and cultural content. TNR’s excursions started with our iconic Cuba trip and, in collaboration with socially conscious travel company Mejdi Tours, we are now offering a range of destinations.    In partnership with Mejdi Tours, we focus on destinations that are not only culturally fascinating but have a political history that we’ll explore and learn from. We curate our trips for progressive thinkers and thoughtful travelers who want to be immersed in the community and cultures we visit.   Join us in Cuba, Northern Ireland, Morocco, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam!   Learn more

What Does It Mean to Be in an "Affordability Crisis"? Democrats are running on fixing it. Trump is running from it. But what does this year’s political buzzword really mean? By Monica Potts My Dual Citizenship Is None of Bernie Moreno’s Business A bill that would ban Americans from having citizen rights abroad is about nationalist sentimentalism, not real-life issues. By Alaric DeArment The Racist Worldview Behind the New Vaccine Recommendations ACIP’s recent decision to scrap hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants is inextricable from its advisers’ apparent belief that immigrants bring disease. By Melody Schreiber Can the "Sistine Chapel of the New Deal" Be Saved From Trump? Precious murals by Ben Shahn, Philip Guston, and others are even more endangered than we knew. By Timothy Noah

Join us: This Is Not Us—ICE in America Today Tuesday, January 6 · 4–5 p.m. EDT To complement The New Republic’s January/February 2026 issue, "This Is Not America," our writers discuss Trump’s immigration policy and how communities are resisting, from refugees defying the administration’s orders to protests against ICE raids and the National Guard’s deployment in U.S. cities. RSVP now

Trump Accidentally Sabotages Case for Bombings in New Interview Fiasco The president’s claims about the boat killings and his pardon of the Honduran ex-president in a new Politico interview should finally convince Republicans that they, and we, must get to the bottom of it all. By Greg Sargent Trump Brags About Taking More Dementia Tests Than Any Other President Donald Trump also suggested it was "treasonous" for anyone else to talk about his mental and physical state. By Edith Olmsted What subscribers are reading: The Supreme Court Is Set to Pick Financial Predators Over the People By Matt Ford The Simple, Legal Way Trump Could Steal the Midterms By Steve Israel Trump Personally Intervenes to Block Release of January 6 Documents By Edith Olmsted Trump Effect Continues as Democrats Pull Off Two Stunning Upset Wins Democrats flipped offices in Miami and Georgia. By Rachel Kahn Podcast: Trump Erupts in Fury as GOPers Humiliatingly Defy His Plot to Rig 2026 The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent In today’s episode, we talk to Representative Jamie Raskin about President Trump’s corrupt scheme to gerrymander the 2026 midterms—and about Raskin’s new ranked-choice voting plan. Trump’s rage is growing as Indiana Republicans resist his pressure to gerrymander their state, and he exploded in a wild weekend rant, threatening primaries against Republicans who "stupidly say no." Yet for now, state Senate Republicans appear dug in. Meanwhile, other Republicans are now arguing that his overall gerrymandering scheme is backfiring. Why? Because Trump is hurting Republicans so badly that those whose seats are made somewhat less safe by redrawn maps might now be at risk. Raskin sees an opening to offer another way: Today he’s introducing a new bill that would require ranked-choice voting in congressional races across the country. He tells us about the proposal, discusses how Trump’s gerrymandering chaos reveals ranked choice as a better alternative, and urges Democrats to fight GOP tactics with hardball of their own. Listen to the episode here. Read the transcript here.

Firewood Banks Aren’t Inspiring. They’re a Sign of Collapse. Rural communities are banding together to chop firewood so that people in need can heat their homes. This shouldn’t be necessary. By Sean Carlton Read now

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Interim, or indefinite? No end in sight to Phil Eng’s double duty

 

New from CommonWealth Beacon UTILITY: Liberty Utilities, which services tens of thousands of ratepayers in southeastern Massachusetts, wants state permission to increase gas rates by an average of 55 percent. The potential dramatic spike contrasts with Gov. Maura Healey’s push to make energy bills more affordable, Jordan Wolman reports.

Interim, or indefinite? No end in sight to Phil Eng’s double duty   December 10, 2025 By Chris Lisinski

"In Phil We Trust" sure seems like it will remain the Healey administration’s unofficial motto for the foreseeable future.

It was almost a year ago, in her annual State of the Commonwealth address, that Gov. Maura Healey made that declaration while boasting about the strides made in fixing the long beleaguered MBTA under Phil Eng, the man she brought on as general manager to run the system.

This fall, Healey doubled down on her faith in Eng, tapping him to serve simultaneously as interim transportation secretary while retaining his GM job. All indications suggest he could continue to hold both roles for an extended period.

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The clearest sign of that may be what hasn’t happened: Eight weeks after his appointment, the governor’s office has not even started to search for a permanent secretary. Eng himself has begun signaling an openness to staying in the Cabinet for a longer stretch. Meanwhile, most of those watching developments across the state’s transportation policy landscape appear perfectly content with the setup, even while acknowledging that it’s put a lot of work on the shoulders of one man.

“If anybody can do this, it’s him,” said Kate Dineen, president of the business-backed group A Better City, voicing a sentiment that seems to be widely shared.

Healey asked Eng to take on the second role in mid-October, naming him interim transportation secretary after the abrupt resignation of Monica Tibbits-Nutt. She also named longtime highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver as transportation undersecretary, and, like Eng, asked him to do that new job in addition to his existing one.

At the time, officials were coy about how long Eng would wear two hats. Healey said she was “taking it day by day.”

Nearly two months later, little has changed. Healey's office told CommonWealth Beacon that the administration has not started to search for a permanent transportation secretary, and the governor isn't putting any specifics on when that will change.

One transportation watchdog, with an eye on Healey’s 2026 reelection run, thinks Eng could continue to work both jobs for nearly all of next year.

“I expect that Phil will serve in both roles through the election. He’s the safest pair of hands in transportation,” said Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, which represents cities and towns that help fund the T. “I think from [the governor’s] perspective, with an election coming up, they just want to make sure everything is steady.”

For his part, Eng is open to remaining secretary however long Healey wants.

“If it means staying interim for a longer period of time, indefinitely, I’m fine with that,” Eng told CommonWealth Beacon in an interview wedged in between a Massachusetts Department of Transportation board meeting and a bill-signing event with the governor. “If it means an opportunity to discuss a permanent role, I’m fine with that as well.”

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More Context Healey brings in a transit professional to run the T (March 2023) Keeping time with MBTA’s Phil Eng (July 2025)

More from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Jennifer Smith talks Boston property tax rates with Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, the struggling commercial sector, and why the issue has led to public sparring between Mayor Michelle Wu and a state senator.  CAMPAIGN: Two Democrats have jumped into the race to fill a House seat representing Cape Ann on Beacon Hill, reports Alison Kuznitz with the State House News Service, after Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante passed away on Thanksgiving. A timeline for a special election has not yet been announced.  OPINION: Two years ago, Massachusetts passed the most ambitious data equity law in the country, but there’s been little progress in getting the policy in place, with residents continuing to suffer the consequences, write Jaya Savita of the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network and Danielle Kim of the Asian Community Fund.

What We're Reading ICE: An immigrant who has applied for a labor trafficking visa headed into a routine check-in with immigration authorities when he was detained. (GBH News)  TREASURER: Belmont select board member Elizabeth Dionne, a Republican, will challenge longtime state treasurer Deborah Goldberg in 2026. (WBUR)  COURTS: In her annual address, Supreme Judicial Court chief justice Kimberly Budd called on the judiciary to provide “stability and order” during a period of national strife. (The Boston Globe – paywall)  PREMIUMS: The US Senate is set to vote Thursday on extending federal subsidies that lower health care costs for millions of Americans, and Gov. Maura Healey warned again that premiums will spike dramatically if the president and House do not get on board. (GBH News)  MENSTRUAL EQUITY: Advocacy organizations continue to press the House to take up Senate-approved legislation making menstrual products more easily accessible in settings such as government buildings and schools. (New Bedford Light)

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