Jon Ossoff touches a nerve at the White House with reference to Natalie Harp

If the defense secretary invested less time in the midterms and more time in the failing war with Iran, the nation would be far better off.

Tuesday, August 18, 2026 TODAY'S TOP MADDOWBLOG POSTS The problem(s) with Hegseth and other Cabinet members hitting the campaign trail The problem(s) with Hegseth and other Cabinet members hitting the campaign trail If the defense secretary invested less time in the midterms and more time in the failing war with Iran, the nation would be far better off. MORE Jon Ossoff touches a nerve at the White House with reference to Natalie Harp “They’re not telling him what he needs to hear; they’re telling him what he wants to hear,” the Georgia senator said of Trump’s White House staff. MORE Jon Ossoff touches a nerve at the White House with reference to Natalie Harp “They’re not telling him what he needs to hear; they’re telling him what he wants to hear,” the Georgia senator said of Trump’s White House staff. MORE Trump thinks voting by mail is a corrupt scourge on the nation — except when he does it The White House said it’s a “non-story” that the president votes by mail while condemning voting by mail. It’s not nearly that simple. MORE Trump thinks voting by mail is a corrupt scourge on the nation — except when he does it The White House said it’s a “non-story” that the president votes by mail while condemning voting by mail. It’s not nearly that simple. MORE Why the cast of characters in a GOP primary in Florida is being described as ‘zany’ One observer has characterized the primary in Florida’s 19th as a “clown show,” which seems harsh (but fair). MORE Why the cast of characters in a GOP primary in Florida is being described as ‘zany’ One observer has characterized the primary in Florida’s 19th as a “clown show,” which seems harsh (but fair). MORE MORE FROM THE MADDOWBLOG ABC sues Trump’s Federal Communications Commission over broadcast license challenge Ken Paxton looks for, but struggles to find, noncitizen voters in Texas elections Trump doubles down on idea of making Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory Tuesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 8.18.26: Planned Parenthood PAC targets Collins in Maine OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR He Cursed at a Public Meeting. Then He Was Arrested. — Police charged Fort Worth resident E. J. Carrion with disrupting a meeting, a Class B misdemeanor, after his public comments. He says that won’t stop his activism. (Texas Monthly) "Giant beef processor Tyson Foods is ending operations at its beef plants in Joslin, Ill., and Eagle Mountain, Utah, which will result in the layoff of about 3,200 employees." ... "Tyson had already laid off nearly 5,000 employees in 2026 after plant closures in Nebraska and Georgia, as well as a downsizing in Texas, KFSM reported." (The Street) It Is Past Time for You to Quit Elon Musk's X (Public Comment) (Reuters) "For nearly a year, 19-year-old Dulce Zepeda has been raising her 13-year-old sister, Maria, in the months since their parents were arrested by ICE and then deported. When NBC 5 Investigates first met Dulce and Maria in April, they were living in a Fort Worth apartment complex. Dulce, cooking, driving her sister to middle school, working at a local McDonald’s, and selling her mother’s jewelry, she said, to help pay bills. “You never know whenever is the last hug that you're going to have from your parents. You don't know, you'll never know how stressful and hard life is without them,” Dulce told NBC 5 Investigates." (5 NBC DFW) "Nearly all the evidence that Virginia’s lawyers uncovered about Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking that came out during this civil case was kept secret. Maxwell settled the case before it could go to trial, however — and paid Virginia somewhere in the neighborhood of $3-5 million. By settling it, she thought that all the evidence about her involvement would remain under seal. But I convinced my editors to ask our lawyers to file a motion to intervene in the case in order to unseal the files." Virginia Giuffre's case files finally to be unsealed — Miami Herald set a landmark legal and journalistic precedent in its fight to unseal the civil lawsuit. What it means (Julie K. Brown) Craziest article of the day: "The former international underwear model spent about a year in federal prison after a DC jury convicted him of five criminal counts, including one felony, related to his participation in the January 6 assault on the US Capitol. In January 2025, Trump pardoned him, along with 1,500 people convicted of J6-related crimes. And now, Strand is using his J6 infamy to try to catapult into Congress in one of the weirdest GOP primaries in the country this year. Of the 10 candidates currently running to fill a seat vacated by Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running to be the GOP candidate for Florida governor, Strand is actually one of two felons pardoned by Trump in the race. The other, former Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), resigned from Congress in 2019 and pleaded guilty to insider trading and lying to the FBI. He was serving a 20-month prison sentence when Trump pardoned him at the end of his first term." (Mother Jones) Follow Rachel Maddow on Bluesky here. GOING BACK ON THE ROAD We're taking a family trip to Texas! Rachel and the gang are getting out of the studio heading to Arlington, Texas on Saturday, September 26th to hang out with the MS NOW audience. This forthcoming Membership experience will bring MS NOW fans closer to our hosts and to each other, with real-time connections and exclusive content you can't get on-air. Each ticket, with prices starting as low as $30, includes a special offer for one year of free access to MS NOW's new membership experience. PRE-ORDER NOW! Rachel has a new book! "Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America’s Most Consequential Institution" comes out November 10 but you can pre-order now. See MS.NOW/DepartmentOfFate for links and options to pre-order. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up to follow it yourself or send this sign-up link to someone you know would appreciate it. PRE-ORDER NOW! NEWS TIPS? SEND IT TO RACHEL FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM RACHEL MADDOW ON BLUESKY 229 West 43rd St. New York, NY 10036 UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY | CONTACT | VIEW IN BROWSER UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY | CONTACT | VIEW IN BROWSER