Politics

Neera Tanden is returning to the Center for American Progress. She thinks Democrats have work to do.

Published

7 months ago

February 20, 2025

Neera Tanden is reprising her role at the helm of the Center for American Progress, one of the Democratic Party’s most influential think tanks, as the party looks to regain its footing with voters and counter President Donald Trump.

It’s a homecoming for Tanden, who was named president and chief executive of CAP Thursday, resuming roles she held before serving in then-President Joe Biden’s administration.

Tanden’s return comes at an inflection point for the party, which has struggled to carve a lane after the 2024 presidential elections. Since Election Day, Democrats have conceded they should have campaigned harder on economic hardship and other issues, and that the party needs to reorient its messaging as Trump works to overhaul the government.

“It’s incumbent of us not to be defenders of the status quo, but to provide an alternative,” Tanden said in an interview with Blue Light News. In her vision, the party should use moments like the recent House Republican push to cut Medicaid spending to demonstrate to voters the harmful real-world impact of these decisions, she said. Democrats can also use these moments to form alliances with on-the-fence congressional Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), she added, who said he had “concerns” about Medicaid cuts.

Tanden has worked as a domestic policy aide for the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations. She has since been dubbed a key architect of domestic policy, including the Affordable Care Act.

That hasn’t come without controversy. She was known for legendary spats with critics — including more progressive Democrats — on social media, and would colorfully insult Republicans. (She’s stated “vampires have more heart” than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and referred to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as “Voldemort.”)

Tanden left CAP to serve as a top aide for the Biden administration. She was originally nominated to be Biden’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, but withdrew with her confirmation sputtering in the Senate. She ultimately served in several senior roles in Biden’s White House.

In that time, CAP has struggled. The center recently terminated 8 percent of its workforce, The New York Times reported. The terminations came as Democratic donors said they would withhold funds for think tanks until the groups generate a coherent strategy for the party.

Still, it’s a particularly opportune time to unleash her new strategy to “oppose and counter” because Trump’s approval ratings are faltering, Tanden said.

“CAP was kind of born for moments like this, where you need both the critique and developing the alternative,” Tanden said. “Americans are waiting on that.”

Politics

House Democrats go on offense with $3M ad blitz over tariffs, shutdown threat

Published

5 hours ago

September 23, 2025

Blue Light Newsroom

House Democrats are going on the offense with tariffs and shutdown politics in swing districts, dropping TV ads against 10 vulnerable Republicans as Congress barrels toward an October government shutdown.

House Majority Forward, a nonprofit aligned with House Democratic leadership, is spending $3 million on broadcast TV and digital ads attacking Republicans on cost-of-living increases and cuts to Medicaid. Details of Tuesday’s ad buy were shared first with Blue Light News.

“They promised to lower prices, but you’re not imagining it — Republican tariffs are making everything more expensive,” one of the ad’s narrator says, over flashing images of grocery items. “Juan Ciscomani voted to let Trump make tariffs even worse and voted to make healthcare even more expensive. Now, Republicans in Congress are threatening to shut down the government, causing economic chaos.”

Ciscomani, a Republican member first elected in 2022, holds an Arizona House seat that Donald Trump also narrowly won last year.

The ads come as Congress faces a government shutdown stalemate, after the Senate rejected dueling short-term government funding proposals from both parties on Friday.

They also preview Democrats’ attack lines against Republicans ahead of the midterms. Public polling finds most Americans disapprove of Trump’s tariff policies. But Republicans maintain an edge over Democrats when voters are asked who they trust more on the economy, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll released over the weekend.

In addition to Ciscomani, the ads go after Reps. David Valadao of California, Gabe Evans of Colorado, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn of Iowa, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Mike Lawler of New York, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.

The ad airing against Van Orden features a Wisconsin-based influencer, Kate Duffy. Styled after a social media post, it will air vertically on broadcast TV, a first for the group.

Politics

Disney says Jimmy Kimmel will return to air on Tuesday

Published

19 hours ago

September 22, 2025

Blue Light Newsroom

Disney announced “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will resume airing on Tuesday, ending Kimmel’s short-lived suspension following comments the host made on his show about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

In a statement released Monday, Disney said it suspended Kimmel last week “to avoid inflaming a tense situation.” The company received intense pressure from Trump allies, including Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, over Kimmel’s comments.

“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in the statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”

“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” the statement continued.

Kimmel’s suspension set off a wave of criticism from leaders in both parties who were concerned about political censorship.