Welcome to the online edition of From The Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that provides the latest reports and analysis from the NBC News Politics team’s White House, Capitol Hill and Campaign Trail.
Today’s edition categorizes the rapidly developing race as a replacement for Mitch McConnell, who announced plans to retire after a decades-long Senate career. Additionally, Jonathan Allen looks at who could be most affected by the Trump administration’s plan to sort out the IRS.
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every day here.
– Adam Walner
The race replacing Mitch McConnell is already on
It was a still monumental announcement that was expected. Mitch McConnell, the longest serving leader in Senate history, said he would not seek reelection next year, ending his four-year career in Congress.
And it only took McConnell to finish his speech on the floor of a Republican Senator in Kentucky and began publicly as a jockey for his seat.
In fact, Republicans have been preparing for this moment for a while. McConnell, now 83, was already aside from his post as Senate GOP leader. He has been locked in a wheelchair in recent weeks after a fall. Additionally, some of his recent votes for President Donald Trump’s cabinet-level candidates suggested he was not worried about facing his party’s basic voters again.
Especially in Kentucky, where McConnell has had four senators since he won the seat in 1984, solid red (or blue) state open seats aren’t often. And there are early signs that the conflict between McConnell and Trump could be a critical feature.
Let’s see how it sways through Ben Kamizar:
Daniel Cameron, former state attorney general who previously served as McConnell’s aide and became governor in 2023, announced his candidacy for the Senate within an hour of news that McConnell’s retirement had broken. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) reiterated his interest in the seat, teasing the decision “quickly” by writing that the state “deserves to be a senator fighting for President Trump and America’s first agenda.” Ta. Barr has already gained some pushback from conservative group clubs for growth. Businessman Nate Morris is considering a 2027 Senate or Governor bid. After speaking at today’s Conservative Political Action Conference, he posted a video calling out McConnell’s Cameron and Barr’s “dolls.” “We need to send someone to Washington, who is going to fight President Trump,” Morris said. One Uninterested Republican: Rep. James Comer has gained fans of the Magazine Circles for investigating the Biden family as chairman of the House Oversight Committee. His spokesman said he was “strongly considering” for the governor instead.
Things you need to know from today’s President Trump
The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as director of the FBI. This spoke dramatically about the restructuring, reflecting Trump’s claims about “weaponization” of the bureau’s authority in Capitol Riot Investigations and other recent incidents. The vote was 51-49, with two Republicans (Alaska Officer Lisa Murkowski and Maine Susan Collins) joining all the opposition Democrats. In his speech at CPAC, Vice President JD Vance warned about the culture of “wanting to be an androgynous idiot who thinks the same thing, speaks the same thing, and acts the same way.” The administration, from carrying out massive layoffs at federal agencies, immediately reinstates Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship and establishes a potential emergency application to the Supreme Court The Department of Justice rejected the request. The Trump administration flew all or almost all migrants held in Guantanamo Bay from the facility there towards Honduras. The administration is telling organizations that provide unfunded immigrant children with services to be stopped.
Where Trump’s IRS cut is the most
The Trump administration’s plan to fire thousands of IRS workers has opened up the question of whether taxpayers will benefit or suffer as the institutions that collected income have been trimmed.
The answer probably depends on which taxpayer is talking.
On a broader level, the IRS estimated there would be a $600 billion gap between taxes and taxes paid in 2022.
The long-established tax disparities are a major reason why Democratic-led Congress and President Joe Biden enacted laws that added IRS agents in a controversial move. By eliminating tax disparities, political leaders can reduce annual deficits and cut taxes for Americans who spend more on services or pay in full.
Without creating important new efficiencies, reducing the IRS workforce contributes to perpetuating the tax gap. Kevin Hassett, chairman of the National Economic Council, told reporters Thursday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent wanted to cut more than 3,500 IRS staff.
So who will benefit?
If there are fewer audits, the answer seems obvious. Americans with the lowest individual income tax.
According to Congress’ Research Services, if taxpayers make more than $5 million a year, they are most likely to be audited at a 2.7% tax rate. Those who make between $1 million and $5 million will be audited at a rate of 1.47% compared to less than 1% of all filers.
At the bottom of the income spectrum, those who claim income tax credits (low and middle income taxpayers) earned are audited at a tax rate of 0.78%. This is someone who made between $25,000 and $500,000 (0.2%) or $500,000 to $1 million (0.68%).
On a historic issue, IRS audits fell between 2010 and 2019, with Congress pulling back executive spending. The agency focused on more energy with simpler submissions by low-income taxpayers during that period, and CRS said in 2023 that it stated that “the possibility that high-income taxpayers will face audits is the possibility that audits will be the case. He writes that it has decreased by more than the same decline. Probability of low-income taxpayers.”
It remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will be able to squeeze more income with fewer tax cops in the Beat. But high earners should feel better today about audit outlook.
today’s other top stories
One Month: Trump’s second 30 days were blurred with instructions, orders and statements, but as Peter Nicholas writes, the dangers of the president’s permanent movement machine can cause policies to clash head-on It’s sexuality. Read more → 💸School Choice Cracks: Trump is pushing for initiatives to spend public money to send children to public schools, but Republicans from several states that Trump has won significantly this year are I’m not on board. Read more → 🌡Boost: Courtney Cube, Carol E. Lee, Kristen Welker and Dan de Ruth behind the scenes for a week when tensions between the US and Ukraine erupted completely in public places I’m going. Read more Instead, she places limits on the power of his office. Read more Take home? Musk almost resembles the ubiquitous power he has become today. Read more → 🚩The Play Flag: Former NFL punter Chris Cruwe was arrested at a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California, protesting plans to set up plaques in a library spelled “Maga” . Read more →
For now, it’s all from the political desk. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Faith Wardwell.
If you have feedback – Likes and dislikes – Email PoliticsNewsletter@nbcuni.com
And if you’re a fan, share it with anyone. They can sign up here.
