Trump’s missing midterms road map

And Vance enters Iran talks with high-stakes meeting |

VIEW IN BROWSER MS NOW DAILY Understand today's news Friday, Feb. 27, 2026   THE LATEST Trump has left Republicans in Congress without a plan. It shows. By Hayes Brown Trump has left Republicans in Congress without a plan. It shows. By Hayes Brown President Donald Trump's expansion of executive branch authority has famously met little resistance from Republican lawmakers, who, despite controlling both the House and Senate, set a 21st-century record last year for fewest votes taken in the first year of a two-year Congress. And 2026 isn't shaping up to be much better. Trump is in the driver's seat on policy issues, so without clear direction from him on priorities, the GOP-led Congress is gearing up to spin its wheels. It is, in brief, a form of political malpractice that borders on madness in a midterm election year. In his record-long State of the Union address this week, Trump had few asks of his fellow Republicans. That is, he spent more time trumpeting past successes than calling for legislation or, for that matter, proposing specific solutions to the problems he rattled off. While it was perhaps classic Trump to focus a nationally televised address on pet issues and grievances, his approach was effectively at odds with the original purpose of this particular presidential address. The details packed into a written overview of the country's well-being might bore some audiences to tears — but would be greatly useful to a legislature that cared about governing the country. This brings us back to today's Washington and its do-little Congress.   This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest column. Read the full column here. TOP STORIES PHILIP BUMP Trump is trying to take partial credit for a Christian revival. Here's the truth. As is sometimes the case with Trump's false statements, this one appears to be a misrepresentation of an assertion made by someone else. Read more. CLARISSA-JAN LIM Bill Clinton set for Epstein deposition by House committee The former president takes his historic turn under oath a day after Republicans questioned his wife. Read more. VAUGHN HILLYARD JD Vance enters U.S.-Iran talks with new scheduled meeting The vice president is scheduled to meet in Washington on Friday with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, who has served as mediator in recent indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran. Read more. BRANDY ZADROZNY I sat through 70 episodes of Candace Owens' show to find out why she's harassing Erika Kirk The podcaster aired "Bride of Charlie" on YouTube and billed it as an investigation into Erika Kirk — but there is no evidence to support her fevered, fact-free claims. Read more. TOP VIDEOS KATY TUR NYC Mayor Mamdani speaks with Trump at surprise White House meeting WATCH NOW ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES Hillary Clinton says GOP lawmakers asked about UFOs and 'Pizzagate' in Epstein deposition WATCH NOW CHRIS JANSING REPORTS Nearly blind refugee found dead in Buffalo after federal agents drop him off miles from his home  WATCH NOW THE BEAT WITH ARI MELBER Paramount wins bidding war to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix backs out WATCH NOW MORE FROM MS NOW On Tuesday, the battle begins for control of Congress with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. Join Rachel Maddow and team for analysis throughout the night, with Ali Velshi breaking down real-time results. Special coverage begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern on MS NOW. Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels are analyzing how culture and politics collide in their new original podcast, "Clock It with Symone & Eugene." In episode three, they are joined by author Marc Lamont Hill to discuss Donald Trump's State of the Union Address, which was the longest in history, and FBI Director Kash Patel taking a government Gulfstream jet to the Olympics. Plus, they call out the BAFTAs for shoving Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan and a Tourette's activist into a spotlight not a single soul asked for. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.   229 West 43rd St. New York, NY 10036 PRIVACY | CONTACT | UNSUBSCRIBE