May 23, 2026

The Big Picture: The YOLO Caucus

Brynn Anderson/AP

YOLO. The slang acronym meaning “You Only Live Once” might be apt for this political year.

President Trump is going YOLO with his endorsements and policies — whether they’re popular or not — like this week’s backing of MAGA firebrand Ken Paxton for Tuesday’s upcoming Texas Senate runoff.

He went with Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn, whom Republican political operatives saw as having a much easier road to holding this Senate seat. If Paxton wins the nomination, this is likely going to become a real race and potential pick-up opportunity for Democrats , who have state Rep. James Talarico as their nominee. That match up could get very nasty, with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars spent, something Republicans would have very much liked to have avoided.

Trump’s Department of Justice also unveiled an almost $2 billion “anti-weaponization” fund this week that could pay for things like legal expenses for some convicted Jan. 6 rioters. For many Republicans, already upset with Trump for backing a challenger to a sitting senator, allowing people convicted of assaulting police officers and targeting many of them on Jan. 6, this was too much — even for officials in a party that has greased the wheels for nearly everything else Trump has ever wanted.

Republicans in both the House and Senate pushed back against the fund’s creation and, instead of voting on money for immigration enforcement that Trump wanted, Congress — controlled by Republicans — adjourned and went home for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

For his part, Trump didn’t seem to read the room correctly. Asked if he had control over the GOP Senate, Trump said, “I don’t know.” And after the adjournment, on Friday, Trump took to social media to air his grievances and lament that he “gave up a lot of money” by dropping his own lawsuit against the IRS, which paved the way for a settlement and the creation of the fund. He went on to write that he’s simply “helping others, who were so badly abused” to get “JUSTICE!”

If a social media post falls in a forest, where no one is listening, does it make a sound?

There are others going YOLO, too — but against Trump from within his own party. As NPR’s Stephen Fowler said in an episode of the NPR Politics Podcast this week, this might be the “You Only Lose Once” caucus: Facing immense opposition from the president, occasional Trump critics Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana both lost their primaries this week.

But Massie vowed that he has seven months left and will do everything he can to get, for example, more names out of the Epstein files. And Cassidy voted with Democrats on an Iran war powers measure that would limit Trump’s ability to wage war there.

That’s in addition to people like retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has repeatedly taken on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and his management of the Pentagon. This week he called the “anti-weaponization” fund “stupid on stilts.“

Not the best thing for a party that is facing an uphill battle in this midterm election year and a president facing near record-low approval ratings.

But you know what they say, YOLO.

— Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent

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ICYMI: Top Stories

Brent Stirton/Getty Images

Police officers sue over “weaponization” fund: Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 have filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Trump administration, arguing that the almost $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is both illegal and dangerous. The lawsuit comes as former Jan. 6 defendants are already preparing their applications to the fund and anticipating major payouts.

Democrats wanted answers for what went wrong in 2024: Now, there are more questions. NPR political reporter Stephen Fowler breaks down the DNC’s unfinished zombie autopsy.

The “DACA kids” aren’t kids anymore: The Obama administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program in 2012 to create protections for immigrants, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Now, the average DACA recipient is 31 years old. Many of them have advanced degrees, businesses and children, who are U.S. citizens. And, as immigration correspondent Ximena Bustillo reports, they’re facing increasing uncertainty and legal limbo in Trump’s second term.

North Carolina swing voters are frustrated with Trump’s economy: But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to back Democrats. Political correspondent Ashley Lopez brings us takeaways from two online focus groups.

What does abortion messaging look like in the age of affordability? After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Democrats made abortion rights a central part of their campaign platform: Democratic congressional candidates in 2022 and 2024 spent more on campaign ads mentioning abortion than on any other issue, according to data from the ad-tracking firm and NPR partner AdImpact. But this year, candidates have spent almost four times less on campaign ads about abortion compared to the same period in 2024. As NPR’s Elena Moore reports, it underscores a broader shift in attention within the party ahead of the midterm elections this fall, as voters consistently rank cost-of-living concerns as their top issue, raising questions about what an evolving Democratic message on reproductive rights looks like in 2026.

Collins highlights “bringing home the bacon”: Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner is calling for a political revolution to upend a system he says is working against working-class Americans. Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, meanwhile, is using old-school pork barrel politics to try and win over voters who may be ambivalent about reelecting her. Maine Public’s Steve Mistler reports on whether her clout in the chamber and ability to secure federal dollars will be enough to win a sixth term.

— Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer

Going Deeper: Two Swing Voters Divided On Trump's Second Term

Illustrations by Tara Anand

Gerald and Wally are Black men who live in the suburbs of Atlanta. Both grew up voting for Democrats and voted for Joe Biden in 2020. Then in 2024, they switched to voting for Trump.

That’s where the similarities end: Gerald couldn’t be happier with Trump’s performance in his second term. Wally gives the president an F.

The two are among a dozen swing voters in swing states who have agreed to regularly speak with NPR over the next three years as part of a project we are calling, “Swing Shift.” Senior political correspondent Tamara Keith spoke to them at their homes for the first installment.

— Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer

The Shot: Colbert’s Final Bow

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Entertainment

Stephen Colbert hosted his last episode of The Late Show Thursday night, ending his nearly 11-year run on a whimsical and joyful note. During the finale, Colbert invited his audience, his crew and famous friends to dance with him onstage as he sang, “Hello, Goodbye” with former Beatle Paul McCartney.

In the end, Colbert and McCartney together switched off the lights at New York's Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Beatles made their American debut in 1964 and where The Late Show franchise was taped in front of audiences for close to 33 years.

CBS canceled Colbert’s top-rated, late-night show last July, saying it was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." But his fans and friends believe it was retribution for his continuous criticism of President Trump and his administration.

The network gave Colbert months to wind down his show, and he never stopped roasting Trump during his monologues…. except for his last one, where he didn't mention politics.

Read more from NPR’s Mandalit del Barco.

— Lexie Schapitl, NPR Politics producer

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