Ed Kilgore: “Democrats shouldn’t reflexively ape Trump’s every excess, particularly in formulating an agenda for their eventual return to power. They currently have the high ground with a small but strategically critical share of voters who dislike partisan power grabs no matter who is carrying them out. These voters may not want to restore Democrats to power in 2026 or 2028 if they believe that when it comes to lawless conduct, ‘both sides do it.’”

Washington Post: “Once intermittently cordial with Trump, the governor has embraced all-out warfare, taunting him daily in what his team calls a ‘flood the zone’ strategy. Trump, in turn, has mentioned Newsom more than any other potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate since the start of his second term…”

“The result: a remarkable back-and-forth between the president and the governor of the most populous state in the country that reached a low point last week. Trump posted multiple doctored videos of Newsom on social media, while the governor suggested Trump has dementia and pinned an unflattering photo of the president atop his official press account.”

“Many Democrats eager for direction are delighting in Newsom’s high-profile clashes and aggressive trolling of the president, though some in the party remain skeptical that a California liberal will be their best candidate in 2028.”

“President Donald Trump and his top political advisers are plotting an aggressive push to oust one of his most persistent Republican adversaries: Rep. Thomas Massie,” CNN reports.

“And House GOP leaders won’t stand in Trump’s way.”

“Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are sending their clearest signals to date that their conservative colleague will have to fend for himself as Trump’s allies prepare to dump millions into Massie’s district to purge him from the Northeastern Kentucky district he’s represented for nearly 13 years.”