The Dictatorship
I’m a blue state governor. Here’s what Democrats need to do to win other states.
My path into the Democratic Party began at our family’s kitchen table. Growing up, we ate dinner each night alongside the portraits of two household heroes: the pope and President John F. Kennedy.
Our reverence for Kennedy was rooted not merely in our pride as Irish Americans. It was rooted in a deep sense of trust that he and his fellow Democrats were dedicated to fighting for families like ours — working-class families that lived life one missed paycheck away from economic calamity.
You’ll never win people over if you don’t meet them where they’re at.
Today, more than six decades later, the Democratic Party remains the only major political party dedicated to uplifting working families — but increasingly, we are perceived as an exclusive club for Washington insiders and wealthy elites. That is an unmistakable repudiation of our political identity.
Three months after the setback of the 2024 election, members of the Democratic National Committee will soon cast their votes for the organization’s next chair. We must elect a DNC chair who will bring our party back to basics and, in so doing, lead us to victory in red and blue states alike.
For more on the DNC chairman election, tune in Thursday to BLN’s live candidate forumstarting at 3 p.m. EST
This process must begin with a new 50-state strategy that worked so well for the party 20 years ago. If Democrats refuse to reach out to broad swaths of the country, we will continue to be seen as out of touch. You’ll never win people over if you don’t meet them where they’re at.
Instead, Democrats must return to the grassroots and start rebuilding trust with the voters who have been at the heart of our political coalition for nearly a century: working-class Americans of all colors, creeds and cultural backgrounds.
Of course, it won’t be easy to rebuild trust at a time when a record number of Americans have lost faith in our political system. And their skepticism is warranted. Washington is broken and beholden to powerful special interests. Costs are extraordinarily high. And most Americans don’t believe their kids will be better off than they are.
Across the nation, there is fundamental frustration with politics as usual — which means Democrats need to re-evaluate our political strategy on a fundamental level.
We must rebuild our political home from the ground up.
While much ink has been spilled since the election about reworking our party’s messaging strategy or recruiting new messengers, the challenges we face run deeper. Viral clips and podcast appearances can go only so far if our party’s brand is unappealing.
If we want to win tough races, Democrats need to build new political infrastructure that supports our candidates every day of every cycle. Think of it this way: If a house is falling apart, you don’t just repaint the walls. You rebuild it from the foundation up. The same is true for the DNC: We must rebuild our political home from the ground up. Building new political infrastructure may not be sexy. But it is absolutely essential.
Though this task is daunting, Democrats have done it before. We’ve even done it in the 21st century. And we can do it again.
Back in 2006, I began my first professional role in politics, as the DNC’s national finance chair. I joined the DNC for one reason and one reason only: I believed in Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy.
During his time as chair of the DNC, Howard put our party’s boots on the ground in every state and on every day throughout the election cycle — and supported candidates up and down the ballot. Under him, Democrats didn’t just show up months before a presidential election — we showed up all 365 days of the year on the toughest terrain imaginable.
We should warmly welcome the opportunity to run anywhere we can.
The results spoke for themselves. During Howard’s first cycle as chair, Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress for the first time in more than a decade. We flipped Senate seats in then-reliably red states like Missouri, Montana and Virginia — each of which had voted for George W. Bush just two years prior.
And, just as impressive: The 50-state strategy was remarkably inexpensive, by contemporary standards. During my tenure at the DNC, we made sure that we invested the same amount of money into every state, rather than pump inordinate amounts of cash only into safe blue bubbles.
Sure, the party leaders in big blue states — like my own — grumbled about receiving the same amount of money as states like Kansas or Kentucky. But that was the point! Our goal was expanding the Democratic tent by establishing a presence in every voting precinct — whether it was in Nebraska or in New York.
Democrats must revive this same strategy ahead of the 2025 elections, and especially the 2026 midterms.
Frankly, we should warmly welcome the opportunity to run anywhere we can. The party has a deep bench of political talents that spans the ideological spectrum. Strong majorities of Americans agree with us on issue after issue — from protecting reproductive rights to raising the minimum wage to lowering health care and housing costs. And if the past is prologue, voters will soon be eager to elect leaders who offer a change of course from those currently in power in Washington.
So the only question is: Will the DNC’s members meet this moment by electing a chair who will rebuild our party across every state and territory?
Gov. Phil Murphy
Philip D. Murphy is the 56th governor of New Jersey. He served as national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2006 to 2009 and is a two-time chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
DETROIT (AP) — The opening of a Canadian-U.S. bridge across the Detroit River, which President Donald Trump had previously threatened to block, was delayed Thursday due to unresolved issues.
In a statement released before a scheduled Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.” It didn’t elaborate on what those issues are or how long the delay would last.
The 1.5-mile-long (2.4-kilometer-long) Gordie Howe International Bridge spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario. The bridge is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan and was expected to open to traffic later this month.
But the opening had been thrown into question after Trump in February demanded in a social media post that Canada turn over at least half of the bridge’s ownership to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of the Republican president’s many salvos over cross-border trade issues.
Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge following Trump’s post, with the understanding that the opening would move forward Friday. Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.
New bridge a “long-term play”
Internal disagreements within the Trump administration threw those plans into question, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back on the opening, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday evening, “At the request of the United States we agreed to delay the opening and take the necessary time to resolve outstanding issues.”
He added, “There are some things that have been raised, a series of technical aspects, which we will work through with the United States.”
Even with the delay, officials remained optimistic that the bridge — a roughly $4.4 billion project — is still expected to open.
“We need to keep this very much in perspective,” said Sandy Baruah, president of the Detroit Regional Chamber and former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce. “Our organization, the state of Michigan and others have been working on this bridge for 20 years. If it opens July 1, Aug. 1 or Sept. 1, I’m not going to get overly agitated about it. This is a long-term play.”
Named after the late Canadian Hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.
The construction project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said she’s taking people at their word that the holdup is “a minor hiccup.”
“This is probably the most bipartisan issue in the state of Michigan, so it’s ridiculous that we can’t just seal the deal,” Slotkin said.
Commerce and border crossings
Detroit and Windsor have been neighborly for generations, with residents in both countries frequently crossing the shared river border for entertainment and shopping. Windsor’s population in 2021 was about 230,000. Like Detroit, the Canadian city’s economy has a strong focus on manufacturing and the auto industry.
Commercial trade between the two cities primarily has been across the nearly century-old and privately-owned Ambassador Bridge, which is closer to downtown Detroit than the Gordie Howe Bridge.
The Ambassador Bridge had been the busiest commercial border crossing between the United States and Canada until last year, when truck traffic along the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Michigan, to Sarnia, Ontario, surpassed the Ambassador Bridge’s numbers, according to the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association.
In 2025, about 2.1 million trucks crossed the Blue Water Bridge compared to just over 1.8 million that used the Ambassador Bridge. About 3.5 million passenger vehicles used the Ambassador Bridge last year, while 1.6 million crossed via the Blue Water Bridge.
Combined, more than 9.2 million vehicles crossed the border on those two bridges in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
More than 3.7 million cars and SUVs also traveled between the United States and Canada last year via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
Both bridges and the tunnel are working at full capacity, and the new bridge will help improve the efficiency of commercial and personal traffic between the two countries, Baruah said.
“This is what government is supposed to do, make it easier for business to conduct commerce,” he said.
___
Cappelletti reported from Washington.
President Donald Trump’s planned UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn has required a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, hundreds of staff working onsite daily and at least $60 million, according to a legal filing that offers a glimpse into the preparations.
The event is part of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and is scheduled for the weekend with the main attraction — seven mixed martial arts matches — on Sunday.
That is, if a judge doesn’t halt the proceedings, which is sought by two Virginia residents in a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.
The agency filed a rebuff of the request Tuesday in court, and, in it, laid out the operations for the event.
“Well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been expended,” the document read, adding that the money came from the UFC and groups affiliated with it.
The Octagon
It’s the eight-sided cage that surrounds the sometimes bloodied combatants and sits at the center of the constructed arena on the South Lawn.
The arena is expected to hold 4,000 spectators, with another 120,000 visitors — who swung tickets from an online lottery — anticipated to watch from the nearby Ellipse.
The installation began May 20, and the Secret Service worked with the UFC to screen between 20 and 30 trucks of equipment — as well as between “700 and 900” staff — that came in daily for the installation.
The document did not specify the extent of government resources spent on the project, but said seven agencies, including Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration, have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”
The schedule
It’ll kick off Saturday with a ceremonial weigh-in at the Ellipse, followed by a concert by country musicians The Zac Brown Band.
A UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest will be ongoing through the weekend, with “interactive experiences,” live shows, celebrity appearances, “exclusive on-stage moments,” meet and greets, live music and interviews with the athletes.
Sunday night is when the seven bouts kick off. At the close, Trump is scheduled to fly to France for the G7 summit.
Disassembly of the installations will begin the next day, and they are expected to be entirely removed by June 23.
The athletes’ Epsom salt baths
There are 14 athletes competing, and their training is rigorous.
Preparations start months in advance, working toward more intense weight cutting and diet alteration in the final week that can include fasting, extreme sauna use and hot Epsom salt baths.
They could be shaving as many as 20 pounds before weigh-ins, which are designed to keep the competition fair between similarly weighted combatants.
Lawsuit calls it ‘corrupt’
It was filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of the two Virginia residents and argues that Trump’s authorization of the event violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands.
One of the attorneys, Brendan Ballou, characterized it as a “corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain.”
The National Park Service pushed back on that claim, but also detailed the event’s preparations to make a point.
“All these hopes could be dashed at the very last moment,” it read, “by the whim of two people who believe they have superior taste and want to spoil the event for everyone else.”
FBI agents on Thursday raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a pro-democracy organization that helps register voters in that state, according to three people briefed on the search.
Agents also fanned out across the state, showing up at the homes of the group’s leaders and staff members, carrying some subpoenas and seeking information and electronic devices, according to the people, two of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive ongoing investigation. Members of the group had made contact with lawyers on Thursday to determine their legal options, the people said.
Prentiss Haney, a board member for Ohio Organizing Collaborative, told MS NOW Thursday night that agents approached people with connections to Ohio Organizing Collaborative, including some who had performed basic canvassing and volunteer work for the group, and began pressing them for information.
Agents were “basically trying to fish for information,” said Haney.
“They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders and community leaders’ doors intimidating them, coming and demanding that they talk about literally anything they would ask,” Haney said, adding that agents “asked them if they’re committing voter fraud, just on their doors, in front of their houses with their children, and just following them to work and school.”
Haney said some of the people said the agents approached without warrants.
“Just straight-up intimidation tactics,” he said.
Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Thursday night.
Those sources familiar with the investigation said they are concerned this new effort in Ohio is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to sow doubt and distrust in voting integrity in key swing states ahead of the midterm elections.
Federal agents have in recent months launched inquiries and investigations into voting protocols in Georgia and Wisconsin, have subpoenaed voting records in Arizona and sought reviews of voting machines in Puerto Rico.
According to its website, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative facilitates statewide voter registration through grassroots, community-led programs, including its “Democracy Builders” initiative. This collaborative works in Ohio’s major metropolitan areas, such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, to help underrepresented communities register to vote and provides other support.
The group has also joined lawsuits challenging redistricting efforts that it argues reduce Black voters of representation. These lawsuits also “stand your ground” laws that allow a person to shoot someone if they feel threatened.
Haney said the Cleveland raid and harassment of staff are unjustified and that investigators lack any evidence of wrongdoing.
“How can they distract and intimidate civil rights leaders and voters and community leaders who are helping people get registered to vote and create a national spectacle about it?” he said.
“That is the only reason why they would choose to do that, do it now, in the middle of a contested political election in the state. There’s no other reason. They have no evidence of that.”
Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW.
Will McDuffie is a reporter for MS NOW.
Alex Tabet is a reporter for MS NOW.
Laura Barrón-López covers the White House for MS NOW.
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