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One of President Donald Trump's former advisors slammed some of his allies in the Department of Justice on Wednesday, arguing that they are impeding Trump's prosecution of his political enemies.

Steve Bannon, who served as a senior adviser during Trump's first term, joined MAGA commentator Tucker Carlson on "The Tucker Carlson Interview" on Wednesday to discuss Trump's efforts to "save the Republic." Bannon said DOJ officials like Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino need to "move faster" to prosecute Trump's enemies before time runs out.

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning sweeping changes at the Internal Revenue Service that would make it easier for his administration to go after left-leaning groups, a move that observers described on Wednesday as another "confession."

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration has turned over a list of targets to IRS agents, which includes some high-profile Democratic donors. Trump also plans to install loyalists in the IRS criminal-investigative division, which would give him influence over criminal investigations, according to the report.

Former Trump administration Homeland Security official Miles Taylor expressed his shock on MSNBC Wednesday evening at the erupting scandal over group texts in Young Republicans organizations, where multiple Republican operatives and even a state senator were openly pushing racist and neo-Nazi sentiments.

"As someone who, you know, came up, I think, in Republican and conservative circles, has been a staff member, does — has something changed here?" asked anchor Chris Hayes. "There's been a sort of back and forth of like, was it always like this? Is this new or is it, is it sort of irony gone too far, or is there a kind of, again, process of radicalization happening among an entire sort of group of current MAGA Republicans?"

The Trump administration is planning massive changes that will allow the IRS to go after left-wing groups, according to a new report late Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal.

The change would allow the administration to stack the IRS's criminal investigation unit with Trump allies "to exert firmer control over the unit and weaken the involvement of IRS lawyers in criminal investigations," the report said, citing anonymous officials.

MSNBC's Chris Hayes wasted no time on Wednesday's edition of "All In" tearing into Vice President JD Vance's defense of the Young Republicans operatives caught up in Politico's bombshell piece documenting rampant racism and Nazi worship in their group chats, by dismissing these operatives as just kids telling jokes.

In fact, Vance laid blame not on the Republican operatives but on the journalists who reported the story.

One of President Donald Trump's White House officials has "overplayed" his hand regarding the government shutdown, and some Republicans in Congress are "freaking out" because of it, according to one Democratic lawmaker.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) discussed the government shutdown on a new episode of "Pod Save America" with former Obama administration aide Tommy Vietor. Schatz said that Vought's recent threat to close so-called Democrat programs is backfiring because the programs on the chopping block help a bipartisan slate of states.

Brown University became the second academic institution so far to reject President Donald Trump's new "compact" for colleges, with university president Christina Paxson firing off a firm letter to Trump refusing to be part of it.

Under the terms of the compact, universities have to freeze tuition hikes for five years, limit foreign undergraduate enrollment to 15 percent of the student body, and make changes to how grading works.

Observers heaped praise on New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, saying his interview could serve as a model that Democrats adopt going forward.

Mamdani joined Fox News' Martha MacCallum on "The Story" to discuss his candidacy. MacCallum asked pointed questions about whether Mamdani denounces Hamas and if he is proud to live in the global financial capital. Mamdani appeared calm and focused, according to analysts, and illustrated how Democrats can get their message across in an unfriendly environment.

A new analysis shredded Vice President JD Vance's dismissal of outrage over a leaked Young Republicans group chat containing racist and Hitler‑admiring messages, in which he referred to the participants as “kids” and argued people were overreacting.

But Mother Jones' Julianne McShane issued a searing smackdown Wednesday night, writing bluntly, "We checked. Sorry, JD Vance."

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) became the latest Republican lawmaker to face a barrage of anger from his constituents on Wednesday.

Unlike many of his colleagues, who held a physical town hall where disgruntled constituents lined up to yell at him, Wittman opted for a so-called "tele-town hall" on Facebook, where people could call in ahead of time to get their questions answered.

Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) ripped House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday night for failing to swear her in during a pro forma session, even though he previously swore in two Republican members under similar circumstances.

Grijalva won the special election to replace her late father, Raúl Grijalva, in Arizona's deep-blue 7th Congressional District in September. Arizona's Secretary of State recently certified her election, but Johnson has not yet conducted a formal swearing-in ceremony for Grijalva.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has put forward a plan to "cow the press," but one analyst revealed on Wednesday that Hegseth's initiative could backfire spectacularly.

Ned Price, the former spokesperson for the State Department, said in an interview with progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen that Hegseth's plan to restrict press access and require outlets to provide copies of their reports before publishing them is "so outlandish." Every major news organization, including Fox News, has rejected Hegseth's plan.