The Weekend

July 19, 2026; 9am: More than two dozen House Democrats met this week for a closed-door strategy session to map out how they would respond if President Trump tried to interfere in this year's midterms. House Democrats have told MS NOW that one fear they have is that Trump could be using the Save America Act as a pretext, and if the legislation fails, Trump could declare a state of emergency to make electoral rule changes. Congressman Joe Morelle of New York, who organized the meeting with House Democrats, joins “The Weekend” along with Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward.

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July 19, 2026, 8 AM; But across the country, voters have more real-world concerns. With that in mind, Democrats are trying to win over voters, even in red states like Iowa, by focusing on the future and practical concerns. Former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg was in the Hawkeye State and Florida this week holding events with Democratic candidates running for office there. He joined The Weekend to weighs in on the path forward for Democrats as we move ever-closer to the midterm elections.

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July 19, 2026; 7am: Thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest against ICE and the Trump administration’s harsh immigration crackdown. The demonstrations come as Trump is urging ICE to keep up aggressive traffic-stop operations despite the recent deadly shootings. At the same time, Trump spent this week focused on reviving election conspiracy theories, laying out the groundwork to challenge midterm election results if Republicans lose. President of Media Matters, Angelo Carusone, joins “The Weekend” to discuss.

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July 18, 2026; 9am: Multiple fatal shootings involving ICE officers spark a major national day of action against Trump’s immigration crackdown. In response to the shootings, the Department of Homeland Security paused ICE vehicle stops except in cases that involved serious criminal targets. However, President Trump reversed the order. Andrea Flores, former Department of Homeland Security and White House official, joins “The Weekend” to discuss.

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July 18, 2026, 8 AM; Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn continue to question whether the DOJ's controversial $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" initiative is truly "dead," as Blanche has claimed. Blanche also met with Jeffrey Epstein survivors after Sen. Tillis made it a condition for Blanche to get his vote. Glenn Thrush and Ankush Khardori join The Weekend to discuss the latest on Blanche’s confirmation hearing.

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