The Weekend

May 24, 2026, 8 AM; Those districts are in states like Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia, battleground states that have repeatedly helped decide control of Congress and the White House in the past. The voters in these communities could offer an early read on how Americans are feeling about the economy, the conflict with Iran, government corruption, and the broader state of our democracy heading into one of the most consequential election cycles in recent memory. Arizona State Sen. Analise Ortiz, Michigan State Sen. Chedrick Green, and Georgia State Sen. Nikki Merritt join The Weekend to discuss the midterms in their respective states.

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May 24, 2026; 7am: Secret Service agents shot and killed a gunman who opened fire near a security checkpoint. A bystander was shot during the gunfire exchange and was rushed to a nearby hospital in serious condition. It is unclear whether that person was struck by the gunman or a responding officer. Sources tell MS NOW the suspect is identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, who had previous encounters with the Secret Service last summer and was ordered to stay away from the White House. MS NOW White House Correspondent Jake Traylor and MS NOW Law Enforcement Analyst and Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger join “The Weekend” to discuss the latest.

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May 23, 2026, 9 AM; In the past week, two of his biggest Republican critics, Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Bill Cassidy, lost their respective primaries to keep their seats after Trump pushed for their defeat. Trump has also made remarks that seem to threaten the seat of another critic within his party, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who has dared to, at times, go against Trump's agenda. Fmr. Ohio Gov. John Kasich joins The Weekend to discuss how Trump treats members of his party who oppose his agenda.

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May 23, 2026, 8 AM; Clyburn is South Carolina’s only Black member of the U.S. House and one of the most influential voices in congress and the Democratic party, and this move would further dilute Black voting power in the state for potentially decades. The new map still has to get through the State Senate, which yesterday failed to secure enough votes to finalize it before early voting begins Tuesday in South Carolina’s primary election. Some Republicans don't seem to be totally on board with five of them joining Democrats in opposing a rushed process. Fmr. Rep. Joe Cunningham and Adam Serwer join The Weekend to discuss the latest redistricting efforts by the GOP in that state.

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May 23, 2026; 7am: In a rare show of defiance, members of President Trump's own party are pushing back against his so-called anti-weaponization fund, which could give millions to January 6 rioters. Republican lawmakers have described the $1.8B fund as “utterly stupid, morally wrong”, “unexplainable,” a galactic blunder,” and “stupid on stilts.” Ali Vitali, host of “Way Too Early” and MS NOW Senior Congressional Reporter, and Jeff Mason, White House Correspondent for Bloomberg, join “The Weekend” to discuss.

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May 17, 2026; 9am: ICE is moving forward with its plan to convert warehouses across the country into mass immigration detention centers despite active lawsuits from multiple states. Just this week, a Georgia town of fewer than 5,500 people sued the Department of Homeland Security to stop a facility for 10,000 detainees from opening in their backyard. Andrea Flores, a former DHS official in the Obama administration, joins “The Weekend” to discuss.

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May 17, 2026, 8 AM; On Saturday, Americans mobilized for voting rights demonstrations across the south, including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who was at a rally in Montgomery, Alabama. He joins “The Weekend” to share what's at stake for our democracy.

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May 17, 2026; 7am:  Organizers say thousands gathered yesterday in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, to protest gerrymandering while honoring the historic 1965 civil rights marches that made the Voting Rights Act possible. MS NOW Contributor David Drucker and Former State Representative Don Calloway join “The Weekend” to discuss.

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May 16, 2026, 9 AM ;The Supreme Court's ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act has cleared the way for a new congressional map in Alabama that would eliminate one of the state's two majority-Black districts before this year's midterms. Alabama is just one of several Republican-led Southern states that are seeking to redraw their maps in a way that would dilute Black voting power. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Black Voters Matter Founder LaTosha Brown joins The Weekend to discuss the latest on Voting Rights Act.

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May 16, 2026, 8 AM ; Peters was sentenced to nine years after prosecutors proved she gave an unauthorized person access to Mesa County election equipment in the aftermath of the 2020 election, then helped spread false claims that the vote was stolen. Her case became a cause célèbre on the right, with President Trump repeatedly calling her a “political prisoner” and demanding that Colorado set her free. The move comes after months of pressure from Trump, who cast Peters as a martyr in this broader campaign to rewrite the history of the 2020 election. Colorado Sec. of State Jena Griswold joins The Weekend to discuss the governor's decision.

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