Talarico's faith-based superpower

Plus, Pentagon identifies four of the U.S. service members killed in Iran conflict |

VIEW IN BROWSER MS NOW DAILY Understand today's news Wednesday, Mar. 04, 2026   THE LATEST James Talarico is living up to the hype — by staying true to his faith By Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons James Talarico is living up to the hype — by staying true to his faith By Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons James Talarico's victory over formidable opponent Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Democratic Senate primary is bigger than state politics. Everyone keeps saying that about this race, but I'm starting to seriously believe the hype. Talarico has a lot of powerful qualities, but his unapologetic embrace of his Christian faith sets him apart from other rising Democratic stars — and it could maybe even help reshape American politics. Before his Senate run, Talarico gained national attention as a state representative by rooting his opposition to Christian nationalism in his own Christian faith. During legislative battles over whether the Ten Commandments should be posted in public schools and guidance counselors should be replaced with unlicensed religious chaplains, he defended religious freedom without casting religion as the enemy. For decades, Democrats have ceded religious language to Republicans. Republicans claim the mantle of faith, while Democrats too often respond by criticizing the GOP's "God talk" and emphasize the separation of church and state. In the process, millions of progressive Americans have become politically voiceless, despite the fact that the majority of Democrats are people of faith themselves. Talarico changes that.   This is a preview of Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons's latest column. Read the full column here.   ASK ALI VELSHI This week, Ali Velshi is taking your questions! As MS NOW's new chief data reporter, he'll be answering your questions about the midterm elections and more in an exclusive video for We the People newsletter subscribers.  👉 Submit your questions for Ali here and subscribe now so you don't miss his answers! Sign up at ms.now/wethepeople. TOP STORIES BILLY BALL Thom Tillis is a cautionary tale for the Trumpian age The retiring senator wasn't MAGA enough for many of today's Republicans, and liberals saw him repeatedly cave to pressure from Trump. Read more. ZEESHAN ALEEM How right-wing Christian extremism is popping up in the war on Iran Some military commanders are reportedly calling the war "biblically sanctioned" and a path to the end times. Read more. AKAYLA GARDNER As voters feel energy price squeeze, Trump turns to Big Tech President Donald Trump faces twin energy crises — electricity and gas prices — heading into midterm campaign season. Read more. IAN SHERWOOD AND DAVID ROHDE Diplomats claim Trump's special envoy undermined Iran talks A Persian Gulf diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks told MS NOW that Steve Witkoff's description of a key conversation was false. Read more. TOP VIDEOS MS NOW Pentagon identifies four of the six U.S. service members killed in Iran conflict WATCH NOW SPECIAL COVERAGE 'Generational shift': Michael Steele on what the GOP can learn from Democrats WATCH NOW SPECIAL COVERAGE 'Toss out the D.C. insiders!' Roy Cooper wins North Carolina Democratic Senate primary  WATCH NOW MS NOW Tillis to Noem: We've seen 'disaster' under your leadership WATCH NOW MORE FROM MS NOW Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle will answer your questions on MS NOW's YouTube channel about the midterm elections and more at 3 p.m. ET today. Submit your question in the chat 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