At least 16 dead as floods, tornadoes rip through South and Midwest

Democratic governors are quietly sharing worries that President Donald Trump intends to disrupt next year's congressional elections, according to a political insider.

The president told U.S. troops this week that he was prepared to send "more than the National Guard" into American cities as he escalates a confrontation with Democratic-led local governments, and MSNBC's John Heilemann told "Morning Joe" that high-ranking officials are growing concerned about whether free and fair elections would take place in 2026.

"Trump has essentially taken the attitude and pursued policies in line with the attitude of, 'I'm the president, I can do whatever I want," Heilemann said. "You know, we've talked for years about the expanding purview of executive power in America, but Trump is so far at the extreme of that. This is clearly one of the largest areas where that's the case."

"You know, when Trump decided to nationalize the National Guard, to federalize the National Guard in California, in Los Angeles, the first of these moves, it was the first time that a president had overridden the wishes of a governor of a state since back in the civil rights era, when troops were federalized to try to integrate some of the schools in Alabama and other states in the South. So there is a not in our lifetimes precedent for this, and Trump has not just done it once, but is now doing it pretty much everywhere."

Those aggressive moves against Democratic-led states and cities have provoked some dark fears among the president's political opponents, Heilemann said.

"That is raising the specter you're talking about, which is, in the medium term, is this part of a strategy to try to steal, effectively, or at least put your thumb very, very firmly on the scale of the 2026 midterm elections, but also with the normalization project," Heilemann said. "We're not even a year in, and we've had multiple cities where we've seen this happen.

"In the course of the next three years, is the longer term objective to get to a place where troops on American streets have become so normalized that not only have the 2026 midterms been affected, but that the 2028 presidential election could be affected, with Trump basically saying, 'The whole country is in a state of emergency and I'm going to declare martial law and not have the 2028 presidential election.'"

"That is the fear of a lot of people in the progressive camp, that this is where it's going," he added, "and I don't mean just wild-eyed progressives, I mean a lot of Democratic governors are already starting to whisper that and say that to reporters, that that's where they think this is really headed over the course of the next three years."

Host Jonathan Lemire said he's been hearing the same concerns in his own reporting.

"That sentiment is out there, a terrifying one, and one that will be worth obviously keeping an eye on in the months and years ahead," Lemire said.

- YouTube youtu.be

A communications director working for the North Carolina Republican Party threatened a reporter, according to a new ProPublica report.

In a report about a North Carolina Supreme Court judge using "his perch" as "an instrument of political power," it was revealed that political leaders were eager to defend him.

Judge Paul Newby, who won his 2020 race, "supported changes to judicial oversight, watering it down and bringing it under his court’s control, making himself and his fellow justices less publicly accountable," the report said.

However, ProPublica's report recounted efforts by its reporters to secure details not only from the judge but also from his allies. At one point, the site requested an in-person interview while at an event. The reporter was "escorted out of a judicial conference to avoid questions."

The court's communications and media team also refused to respond. Still, the site "interviewed over 70 people who know him professionally or personally, including former North Carolina justices and judges, lawmakers, longtime friends and family members."

When the site reached out to Newby's daughter, the Republican Party stepped in personally.

"The North Carolina Republican Party’s communications director, Matt Mercer, responded," the report continued. Newby's daughter is the state party's finance director.

ProPublica was accused of waging a “jihad” against the “NC Republicans.” He refused to dignify questions with "any comments whatsoever.”

It then took a darker turn.

“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter. I would strongly suggest dropping this story," Mercer threatened in an email to ProPublica with emphasis on the word "strongly."

The reporters didn't drop the story, and it appeared on the site on Thursday.

Newby isn't up for reelection until 2028.