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In Toppling Maduro, Trump Risks Blowback from ‘America First’ Base
President Trump’s pledge that the United States would “run” Venezuela for an indefinite period showed he is willing to enter foreign conflicts he once promised to end.
Bernie blowback: How Sanders’ primary endorsements have sparked a Democratic midterm war
Sen. Bernie Sanders had just announced his intent to unseat a sitting House Democrat — this time, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus from North Carolina — when Rep. Hakeem Jeffries decided it was time to confront Sanders himself.
Killing of Alex Pretti scrambles Second Amendment politics for Trump
The blowback against the administration from core Trump supporters comes as Republicans are trying to protect their threadbare majority in the U.S. House and face several competitive Senate races.
What to watch for in Georgia and Wisconsin tonight: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Trump's escalating threats against Iran are drawing blowback from some corners of MAGA world.
Trump’s shock-jock politics don’t work for everyone. An Ohio attack ad is proof.
Cheered by an online ecosystem, the GOP has rewarded “owning the libs” for a decade. But the blowback to an ad in the governor’s race suggests there are limits.
House GOP pushes strict proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters
House Republicans rushed to approve legislation on Wednesday that would impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements ahead of the midterm elections, a Trump administration priority that faces blowback in the Senate.
Trump privately lashes out at GOP lawmakers over racist video blowback, sources say
While President Donald Trump had critical words for Republicans who spoke out against him, he’s been less critical of the unnamed staffer whom the White House blamed for the debacle, telling reporters on Thursday that he has no plans to discipline the person.
Analysis: Racist video is merely the latest in a long line of Trump’s ugly social media posts
The White House has belatedly backed down from a racist video shared on President Donald Trump’s social media feed after blowback from Republicans.
Editorial cartoons for Feb. 1, 2026: ICE shooting in Minneapolis, political blowback, 2nd Amendment
The week in visual commentary.
Trump’s wearing of baseball cap during dignified transfer draws criticism
President Trump faced continued blowback for wearing a USA-emblazoned cap during a dignified transfer ceremony for soldiers killed in the war with Iran.
Craig Reedie, Who Fought Doping in Global Sport, Dies at 84
He led the World Anti-Doping Agency when Russia’s state-sponsored doping system was exposed a decade ago. He received blowback for the agency’s response.
Trump’s US-Russia diesel deal draws bipartisan criticism
President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is facing bipartisan blowback in the US as lawmakers warn that the Trump administration is defying a federal law meant to crackdown on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
Lula Faces Political Blowback in Brazil Over Carnival Parade Row
A Carnival parade honoring Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took a controversial turn on Monday, as opposition leaders argue the tribute amounted to improper campaigning for the leftist incumbent.
Trump says Fort Hood shooter execution won't be livestreamed after bipartisan backlash
The announcement earlier this month from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Hasan's execution would be public prompted significant blowback from both Republicans and Democrats, with many pointing out that the images could be used to fuel radicalization.
Merchants of Doubt and the attacks on Extreme Event Attribution science
Last week, I attended a meeting at Columbia University on attribution science and climate law, hosted by the Sabin Center. It was a fantastic event, bringing together scientists and legal experts working at the intersection of extreme event attribution and climate law. Subscribe For those unfamiliar with it, extreme event attribution attempts to quantify the contribution of climate change to an extreme event. For example, several groups analyzed the impact of climate change on Hurricane Harvey’s enormous rainfall totals over Houston, Texas and they found that climate change increased rainfall by 15 to 38%. One thing that came up again and again was how terrified fossil-fuel interests are of extreme event attribution science. They are acutely aware that this research could land them in court. And losing those cases would leave them legally liable for billions of dollars in climate damages. Because the legal stakes are so high, the blowback has turned ugly. I spoke with several scientists at the meeting who are facing ongoing harassment over their work. This blowback is a coordinated campaign to make the entire field look suspect. The goal is to create the impression that attribution science is too uncertain, too political, or too conflicted to be useful in court or in public policy. The strategy is not based on actual science or evidence of misconduct, but on the generation of doubt. The new Merchants of Doubt We’ve seen this before. In fact, not that long ago: We only have to go back a year to the Department of Energy (DOE) Climate Working Group (CWG) report to see an example of using doubt as the tool to push back against well-established science. This strategy is laid out in an email from a member of the CWG, Dr. Roy Spencer, that was released during litigation over the Climate Working Group process. The key quote is: About all I can hope is that what we write will provide sufficient “reasonable scientific doubt” regarding the science claims in the 2009 TSD [technical support document], based upon almost 2 decades of new science, to call into question the original reasoning for the EPA Administrator’s decision that CO2 presents a threat to human health and welfare. This statement is strong evidence that at least some members of the committee were working to support a particular policy outcome: revoking the Endangerment Finding. The email also explains how they planned to do it: by attempting to generate “reasonable doubt”. This is going to be hard, Spencer implies. Despite falsely claiming that “2 decades of new science” weakens the case, Spencer explicitly acknowledges that the actual peer-reviewed science of climate change overwhelmingly rejects his position: But if the science argument is decided upon by a vote, or by the number of published citations, we lose the science argument. We can go back even further: This CWG email shares unmistakable DNA with the infamous 1969 tobacco memo that declared: “Doubt is our product, since it is the best means of competing with the ‘body of fact’ that exists in the mind of the general public. It is also the means of establishing a controversy.” The tobacco memo also acknowledges the limit of this strategy: Like the CWG, they knew the science was not on their side. Share The new new Merchants of Doubt The people attacking the IPCC chapter on extreme event attribution are the newest iteration of the Merchants of Doubt. Their goal, like all Merchants before them, is to introduce doubt into the process. Because the report is not even out yet, they cannot attack its conclusions. So they are attacking the authors instead. Here is a press release from the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee: In the letter, the Chairmen express concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving members of the Attribution Committee, stating that “publicly available information suggests a troubling pattern” in which committee members are affiliated with nonprofits that support climate accountability lawsuits, “raising the appearance of impropriety and member bias.” To be clear, this is just innuendo. There is no actual evidence of bias. And given the robust process that these reports go through, including multiple lines of peer review, it seems very unlikely that significant bias can survive into the report. When the report comes out, critics will have the opportunity to make legitimate criticisms of the report — if any exist. If none do, however, they’ll still make criticisms, but they’ll be bogus, simply designed to generate doubt. We’ll see. A note to the press: Fix your frame To any journalists reading this: The public debate over extreme event attribution science is not going away. The science is simply too dangerous to fossil-fuel interests for them to stop fighting it. You very well might be assigned to write an article about this area of research in the future. When you do, do not automatically adopt the framing that climate misinformers want you to use. They want you to frame the story around questions like: Are climate scientists trying to put their thumb on the scale to achieve a predetermined, politically motivated result? Are climate scientists improperly letting their politics invade the science of the IPCC? That frame is a trap. Instead, you need to view this through the historical lens of the Merchants of Doubt. How does the ecosystem of doubt operate? Who funds it? What methods do they use to misrepresent science and slime researchers? What scientific results are they trying to keep people from understanding are legitimate? Ultimately, you instead need to focus your article on the generation of doubt as a way to maintain the fossil fuel industry’s social and legal license to keep burning oil, gas, and coal. If you treat the misinformers’ frame as a legitimate, good-faith scientific critique, you are helping them produce doubt. Don’t do it. Don’t be a Merchant of Doubt. Thanks for reading The Climate Brink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe other stuff The Staying Curious Substack has an interesting post about the different flavors of climate sensitivity. This is crucial information if you want to understand how scientists think about how much warming the Earth will experience. I’d be grateful if you could hit the like button ❤️ below! It helps more people discover these ideas and lets me know what’s connecting with readers.
Musk’s doubts about DOGE spotlight political risks for U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans
Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach is heading into the 2026 election cycle with one of the most precarious political balancing acts in the country, as her strong support for the Department of Government Efficiency collides with new doubts about the program — and the realities of representing a district heavily reliant on federal jobs.The challenge sharpened last week when Elon Musk, the billionaire tech executive who helped architect DOGE, told GOP podcaster Katie Miller that the initiative had been only “somewhat successful” and said bluntly that he would not do it again. In the interview, Musk acknowledged the political and practical blowback from DOGE, which was launched early in President Donald Trump’s second term with the stated goal of slashing government spending and reshaping the federal workforce.
This Week in Politics: Developments in the U.S. and Iran War
The U.S. war with Iran rages on and continues to draw mounting public opposition and to induce harsh economic impacts. The conflict has prompted substantial blowback for the Trump administration. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University found that a majority (53%) of U.S. voters disapproved of U.S. military action against Iran, with a larger percentage...
Shane Ryan defends Rory McIlroy ‘legacy’ question after internet blowback
The final of golf’s four major championships begins later this week at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, and players are fulfilling their pre-tournament media obligations. As one would expect before an Open Championship, golf fans were hanging on every word six-time major winner Rory McIlroy gave to the press. But it was one…
VFW defends First Amendment rights amid blowback over political cartoon
Lawmakers and veterans groups are divided on how to pay for a major veterans benefits reform bill.
Despite Blowback From Ohtani Comments, Travis Hunter was Almost Right
Jacksonville cornerback Travis Hunter was once knocked by comparing himself to the LA superstar
Divinity Maker Revises AI Stance After RPG Fan Blowback
The Divinity maker elaborated on controversial comments about gen AI from last year
AOC's foreign policy play: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Trump faces growing GOP blowback on a range of issues.
House GOP pushes strict proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters ahead of midterm elections
The bill passed Wednesday is a Trump administration priority aimed at scrutinizing ballot access. But it faces blowback in the Senate.
Trump’s pledge for $5K checks catches officials and allies off guard, sparks GOP blowback
President Donald Trump blindsided many of his own administration officials and allies with his vow to pay all American adults $5,000 if Republicans keep control of Congress, prompting an internal scramble on Thursday to backfill the proposal’s specifics, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.
University of Michigan is hiding student grades — but effort to curb 'mental health crisis' is getting blowback
Week in Politics: Hegseth's livestream backlash; Greece ambassador Guilfoyle scandal
Bipartisan blowback on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plans to livestream a military execution, plus a scandal involving Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US Ambassador to Greece.
Businesses fear blowback from Saudi-UAE rift
Emirates workers have had visas to the kingdom rejected since tensions erupted between the Gulf powerhouses
Chris Mason: Burnham looks to show he will go further than Starmer with West Bank sanctions
It is hoped that coordinated action minimises the blowback to any one country from Israel or America, our political editor writes.
Zac Brown's UFC performance was about 'patriotism, not politics'
Before he took the stage to sing the national anthem outside the White House to kick off UFC Freedom 250, Zac Brown stood firm despite blowback.
Browns Face Blowback After Latest Deshaun Watson Announcement
The Browns latest decision with Deshaun Watson isn't sitting well. The post Browns Face Blowback After Latest Deshaun Watson Announcement appeared first on HEAVY.
HR giant SHRM faces blowback after a 'nuclear' $11.5 million employee discrimination verdict. Its CEO called it a 'blip.'
After the verdict came down, SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor addressed employees in a video, saying the judgment lacked merit.
Lawsuits and political blowback don’t dim interest in $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’
Trump allies, Jan. 6 defendants and those pardoned for crimes during the Biden administration say they’d like a piece of the massive money pot. But challenges remain.