McConnell assumes a new role in the Senate: Lone Wolf: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of Political officeAn evening newsletter that brings you the latest report and analysis of the NBC News Policy team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign campaign.

In today’s edition, we dive into the political future of three senators: the one who wants to stay with Washington, the one who wants to leave a brand and the one who is out. In addition, President Donald Trump takes the next step in implementing his price program.

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– Adam Wollner

McConnell assumes a new role in the Senate: Lone Wolf

Two votes from key republican senators today on the Confirmation by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Secretary of Health and Social Services illustrates the new party order under President Donald Trump.

Let’s start with senator Mitch McConnell, who voted against Kennedy. He is now the third of Trump’s candidates that McConnell, Kentucky, the former leader of the GOP of the Senate, opposed the floor. In the case of the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, McConnell was joined by the Republican senses Susan Collins, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska. But on Kennedy and the newly installed national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard, McConnell was the only dissident GOP.

As the oldest leader of the oldest in history, McConnell has developed the reputation of keeping its members online and frustrating Democrats by relentlessly using procedural tactics to block their program, Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V writing.

Now, outside the management and finishing what is likely to be his last mandate, McConnell, 82, is free from the constraints of leadership and the prospect of dealing with voters. He not only voted against a trio of high -level candidates in Trump in recent days, but has also publicly criticized Trump’s pricing plans.

At the same time, McConnell, who has used a wheelchair in recent days after having suffered a fall, has lost much of his influence on a republican conference of the Senate which he once succeeded with an iron handle while he died out more out of step with the Maga movement, causing the party.

McConnell, however, does not seem disturbed by going alone. A republican senator said McConnell had not tried to put pressure on colleagues to join him in opposition to Trump’s candidates, reports Melanie Zanona. And with Hegseth, Gabbard and Kennedy, he did not publicly say how he would vote in advance.

As a former McConnell assistant said: “I think we have reached the summit of Yolo McConnell.”

Senator Bill Cassidy, however, finds himself in a very different situation. A doctor and president of the senatorial committee of health, education, labor and pensions, Cassidy, of Louisiana, had publicly fought against the appointment of Kennedy, in particular his anti-vaccine positions.

But Cassidy finally came and said that he had received enough insurance to vote for Kennedy to run the country’s most powerful health care agency. A key difference between him and McConnell: Cassidy can have a re -election in Louisiana on the horizon.

He did not officially announce if he would seek another mandate in 2026, although he pointed out that he would. As Bridget Bowman and Natasha Korecki reportProblems are waiting.

The never doubt of the republican party has not yet forgiven Cassidy for voting in 2021 to condemn Trump on charges of indictment that he prompted the riot of the Capitol of January 6. And Cassidy already has at least one main challenger, with others waiting in the wings.

“It’s no secret. It will be a difficult primary for him, “said Derek Babcock, president of Louisiana Gop.

Continue to read below to find out more about the Senate 2026 map.

Another seat open to the Senate could complicate Democrats’ plans in 2026

Senator Tina Smith, D-minn., Announced Thursday that she was not pre-elected, which means that Democrats will have to defend another seat open on a difficult Senate map in 2026.

Senator Gary Peters, D-Mich., Recently said that he would not see another mandate. Open seats could make democrats’ difficult battle to take control of the Senate even more difficult. They need to spin four seats to take the majority, which means that they must keep all their existing seats and return four Republicans.

And democrats do not have many obvious collection opportunities. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, is the only republican for re-election in a state that Kamala Harris won. Senator Thom Tillis, RN.C., should also be the main target of his perennial battlefield state. After that, the Democrats will have to deepen the territory of Trump and the target states which he has won two figures.

Democrats may now have to devote more resources than expected to defend seats in Minnesota and Michigan, without the holders who provide a high identifier and fundraising feats. In addition, competitive – and potentially divisive – could damage any candidates (although primaries can also be useful test fields for candidates). The Lieutenant Democrat du Minnesota, Governor Peggy Flanagan, has already announced that she would present herself for the siege of Smith, and several others could follow.

The Minnesota was perhaps not at the top of the list of targets in the Senate of the Republicans – Democrats defend two seats in the States that Trump won (Michigan and Georgia) – but it is probably up there. Trump lost the 4 -point minnesota, improving his 2020 margin, even with state governor Tim Walz, on the Democratic ticket. Walz himself is not excluded a race for the Senate, when he also plans to run for another mandate as governor, a source close to Walz told our colleague Katherine Koretski.

The Democrats, however, are convinced that they will hold the siege, noting that a Republican has not won a race in the Senate in Minnesota since 2002.

Find out more about the emerging race of the Minnesota Senate →

What to know of the Trump presidency today

• Trump signed a memorandum Call on “fair and reciprocal” commercial prices On all the main American trade partners, including longtime allies. The memo calls on administration officials to assess within 180 days of country reports if the “remedies” that guarantee reciprocal trade relations are necessary.
• Trump recognized That new prices could lead to “short -term” price increases.
• The best federal prosecutor in New York and two high -level federal prosecutors in Washington resigned after refusing to follow An order from the Ministry of Justice to abandon the accusations of corruption against the mayor of New York, Eric Adams. The White House too completed several American lawyers Wednesday evening.
• A group of 14 states continued Elon Musk and Trumparguing that the authority that the White House has granted to the technological billionaire and to the Ministry of Government efficiency is unconstitutional.
• About 75,000 federal employees have accepted According to the White House.
• The candidate for the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, said that any effort to eliminate the department she was trying to direct, as Trump asked at its confirmation audience.

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It’s all of the political bureau for the moment. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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