Was Hegseth Drunk?

Plus: Is this the beginning of the Democrats' comeback?

Author

Andrew Springer
March 27, 2025

Good morning! It’s Thursday, March 27, 2025. In today’s newsletter:

  • Is this the beginning of the Democrats’ comeback? 🙌

  • The most important news right now — and why it’s important 🧐

  • Everyone is asking the same question about SignalGate 🍺

  • Stories the algorithm may have kept out of your feed 👀

⏱️ Estimated read time: 4 minutes, 15 seconds

A NEW HOPE

The beginning of the Democrats’ comeback?

Is the Democratic Party on the verge of an epic comeback? If Bernie’s recent record-setting rallies and a surprise upset Tuesday night are any indication—that just might be the case.

DRIVING THE NEWS: On Tuesday night, a Democrat pulled off a surprise win for a state Senate seat in a special election in Pennsylvania.

  • Trump carried the conservative-leaning district by 15 points last November, but Tuesday night the Democrat, James Malone, won by 500 votes. 

It’s just the latest in a string of under-the-radar wins that show just how pissed off the public is with Trump.

As AOC touted on social: "This is how it's done. Run everywhere. Run down ballot. Focus on local elections ASAP—from school board to councils to state legislatures. We build from there.”

OH, AND: There’s now word that Republicans are getting anxious about next week’s special election in Florida to fill Mike “oops I accidentally texted classified war plans” Waltz’s seat in Congress.

  • Republicans outnumber Democrats two-to-one in that Daytona Beach-area district, but recent polling has the Democratic candidate, Josh Weil, within the margin of error of the Republican candidate.

A win in that race would be a MAJOR upset.

THE BIG PICTURE: Trump’s incredibly and increasingly unpopular agenda are starting to make the 2026 midterms the Democrats’ to lose (at least in the House; the map is stacked in the Senate against the Dems).

  • The real question is, will Democrats be able to tap into the anger—about Trump, about the evaporating American dream—and turn voter’s anger into progress?

WHAT’S NEXT? All eyes are on three elections Tuesday that could help show which way the wind is blowing.

📰 Most important stories right now

There’s a lot of sh*t out there. Here’s what’s actually important—and why.

Why it matters: Stocks for the nation’s big three automakers fell 5% on the news. This tax on foreign cars is bad for business, bad for workers, and bad for consumers. Let’s hope Trump relents before he sends us into a recession. Full story from CNBC.

Why it matters: Trump’s scapegoating of immigrants and activists for a shitty economy continues to the destroy lives of many in the most vulnerable communities. Make no mistake: He will not stop there. This is only the beginning. Full story from Common Dreams.

Why it matters: The pressure campaign to save Social Security is working. Republicans are learning what it means when you mess with Americans’ hard-earned pensions. Full story from the AP.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

The one question everyone is asking about that group chat

As we enter day four of SignalGate, Democrats are demanding to know the answer to one very important question: Was Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drunk when he accidentally leaked classified information to a reporter on a group text message?

THE DETAILS: On Tuesday, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a former Marine, openly questioned Hegseth’s sobriety during the now infamous leak: “The debate among national security professionals is over whether the secretary was just incompetent or whether he was drunk."

  • Then yesterday Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Ca.) got into a fiery exchange with CIA Director John Ratcliffe during a House hearing when Gomez asked point blank if Hegseth had been drinking before the leak.

Ratcliffe claimed that Hegseth was not drunk during the conversation—which means very little coming from an administration that lies about absolutely everything.

BACKGROUND: Hegseth’s drinking habits were a major point of concern during his confirmation hearings.

Unsurprisingly, the New York Times reports Hegseth has had a rocky first two months at the Pentagon, stymied in his plans by courts, Congress, and sometimes Trump himself.

THE LATEST: So far, Trump is standing beside his Secretary of Defense (and National Security Advisor, and Director of National Intelligence, etc.), but several Republican Senators have broken ranks and called for an investigation into the brewing scandal.

Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says he never met the journalist he added to the group group, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. Here’s a picture of them together.

GO DEEPER: But—the real Yemen scandal has zero to do with reporters or group chats.

🗳️ Question of the day

Today we want to know: Do you think anybody will be forced to resign over this, or will Trump and his cronies escape without consequence? Tell us why after you vote!

Will anybody be forced to resign over SignalGate?

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TUESDAY’S RESULTS: Earlier this week we asked: Should Bernie Sanders run for president again? The people have spoken!

READERS WRITE: MG voted yes and wrote: “We need a drastic change from the mess we are in now. Hopefully we'll still have our Democracy, and the ability to make choices!”

Ratledge also voted yes: “Despite Bernie's age he shows no signs of mental decline and his message is more vital now than ever.”

Others disagreed. Angus voted no and said: “I would vote for Bernie. I believe he is the best choice, but I don't think he has a chance with the wider electorate because of his age.”

Carol said: “Would really like him to run, I'd vote for him, but we need someone younger this time around!”

👀 Under the Radar

Here are some stories the algorithm may have kept out of your feed.

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We’ll be back Sunday morning. Questions or comments? Just reply to this e-mail.

Thank you for reading! - Andrew & Anthony

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