[{"slug":"spotlight-john-thune-filibuster-bipartisan-funding","kind":"wall-of-fame","title":"John Thune Held the Line Against Trump’s Filibuster Demand","summary":"When President Donald Trump demanded that Senate Republicans cancel their August recess or abolish the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, Majority Leader John Thune defended the Senate’s rules and acknowledged the votes were not there.","tags":["John Thune","Donald Trump","Senate","filibuster","SAVE America Act","institutional restraint","wall-of-fame"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-09T19:03:50.8065282","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-09T23:34:12.2726745","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/spotlight-john-thune-filibuster-bipartisan-funding"},{"slug":"senate-90-6-stopgap-funding-bill","kind":"commentary","title":"90-6: The Senate Finds a Governing Majority to Prevent a Shutdown","summary":"The Senate passed H.R. 6500 by 90-6, pairing a fiscal 2027 stopgap with an AGOA extension and showing how quickly a broad coalition can form when the alternative is a government shutdown.","tags":["congress","senate","bipartisanship","government-funding","shutdown","agoa","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T19:05:23.9766582","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-09T08:22:19.9962778","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/senate-90-6-stopgap-funding-bill"},{"slug":"senate-52-46-voter-id-cloture-fails","kind":"commentary","title":"52-46: Voter ID Stalls Where the Middle Could Have Started","summary":"A Senate voter-ID bill fell short of cloture, showing how election rules become partisan tests instead of practical safeguards.","tags":["congress","senate","elections","voter-id","bipartisanship","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T14:02:41.9669084","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-09T08:22:21.4969799","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/senate-52-46-voter-id-cloture-fails"},{"slug":"senate-91-6-agoa-extension-cloture-vote","kind":"commentary","title":"91-6: The Senate Advances AGOA Renewal With Almost No One Watching","summary":"The Senate voted 91-6 to advance the AGOA Extension Act, a rare near-unanimous vote crossing party lines while this week's Russia sanctions bill drew sharper splits.","tags":["congress","senate","bipartisanship","trade","agoa","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T03:19:54.9933936","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-09T08:22:20.9094023","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/senate-91-6-agoa-extension-cloture-vote"},{"slug":"senate-86-11-russia-iran-sanctions-bipartisan-vote","kind":"commentary","title":"86-11: A Bipartisan Russia Sanctions Vote With Real Tradeoffs","summary":"The Senate overwhelmingly backed tougher pressure on Russia and Iran. The bipartisan result matters, but so do the costs and implementation choices Congress must still confront.","tags":["congress","senate","bipartisanship","russia","iran","sanctions","energy","foreign-policy","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-07T21:40:41.3264088","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-09T08:22:22.1004555","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/senate-86-11-russia-iran-sanctions-bipartisan-vote"},{"slug":"pfas-vote-48-50-collins-crosses-party-lines","kind":"commentary","title":"48-50: The One Senator Who Broke Ranks on a PFAS Reporting Rule","summary":"A Senate vote to overturn an EPA PFAS reporting rule split almost perfectly by party. Susan Collins was the only exception, and that tells you something.","tags":["congress","senate","bipartisanship","epa","pfas","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-06T00:13:03.6733206","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T15:12:51.0871545","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/pfas-vote-48-50-collins-crosses-party-lines"},{"slug":"senate-84-12-early-childhood-educator-tax-bill","kind":"commentary","title":"86-11: The Senate’s Quiet Russia-Sanctions Consensus","summary":"The Senate transformed an early-childhood educator tax bill into a sweeping Russia-and-Iran sanctions package and passed it 86-11—an important update to the chamber’s earlier 84-12 procedural vote.","tags":["congress","senate","bipartisanship","russia","sanctions","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-05T14:16:35.4248942","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T15:10:38.741327","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/senate-84-12-early-childhood-educator-tax-bill"},{"slug":"agoa-vote-89-4-bipartisan-middle-holds","kind":"commentary","title":"An 89-4 vote nobody is talking about","summary":"An 89-4 Senate cloture vote on AGOA trade extension drew dissent only from Paul, Sanders, Warren, and Kaine — a small case study in how the middle actually governs.","tags":["congress","bipartisanship","trade","senate","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T22:10:12.0708296","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T15:19:31.60619","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/agoa-vote-89-4-bipartisan-middle-holds"},{"slug":"fame-margaret-chase-smith-declaration-of-conscience","kind":"wall-of-fame","title":"The senator who stood up to her own party first","summary":"In 1950, freshman senator Margaret Chase Smith denounced McCarthyism on the Senate floor while most of her party stayed silent. It cost her; history vindicated her.","tags":["wall-of-fame","political-bravery","history"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T19:12:45.8355443","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T15:31:42.099616","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/fame-margaret-chase-smith-declaration-of-conscience"},{"slug":"why-the-middle-gets-outspent","kind":"commentary","title":"Why the middle gets outspent","summary":"Most Americans hold mixed, moderate views. Almost none of the money in politics comes from them — and candidates notice.","tags":["campaign-finance","polarization","mission"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T17:38:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:54.4678358","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/why-the-middle-gets-outspent"},{"slug":"what-we-mean-by-the-middle","kind":"commentary","title":"What we mean by \"the middle\" (it isn't mush)","summary":"Centrism has a reputation for splitting the difference. That's not what representing the majority means.","tags":["mission","definitions"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T17:08:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:55.1816092","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/what-we-mean-by-the-middle"},{"slug":"alaska-showed-what-open-primaries-change","kind":"success-story","title":"Alaska showed what happens when candidates need everyone's vote","summary":"After Alaska adopted its top-four open primary with ranked-choice general elections, candidates had a reason to campaign beyond their base.","tags":["electoral-reform","ranked-choice","open-primaries","success-story"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T16:38:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:55.7011971","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/alaska-showed-what-open-primaries-change"},{"slug":"spotlight-problem-solvers-caucus","kind":"spotlight","title":"Spotlight: the Problem Solvers Caucus","summary":"Roughly sixty House members, split evenly between the parties, who agree to negotiate before they posture. It's harder than it sounds.","tags":["spotlight","congress","bipartisanship"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T16:08:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-08T15:32:11.2628505","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/spotlight-problem-solvers-caucus"}]