NOW Today: Political footballs

"Ugh." That was the reported response of one progressive activist when he heard the news that the Justice Department secretly obtained phone records from the Associated Press. The latest "scandal" comes after last week's revelations that the IRS targeted conservative and Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status.

“Ugh.” That was the reported response of one progressive activist when he heard the news that the Justice Department secretly obtained phone records from the Associated Press. The latest “scandal” comes after last week’s revelations that the IRS targeted conservative and Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status. The AP mess also follows the ongoing back-and-forth over the White House’s ramp up and response to last September’s attacks in Benghazi, Libya. On Monday, President Obama used a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron to downplay the GOP’s fixation on Benghazi, calling it a “sideshow.” However, the President was not as dismissive about the Internal Revenue Service, calling the reports “outrageous” and “contrary to our traditions.” But this was before word of Justice’s probe of the AP went public. For its part, the DOJ said in a statement, “Those regulations require us to make every reasonable effort to obtain information through alternative means before even considering a subpoena for the phone records of a member of the media.” The AP called the move a “massive and unprecedented intrusion,” but the White House says it had “no knowledge”of the collection of the records. Regardless of the public stances the organizations are taking at this juncture, the conventional wisdom in Washington and in the media is that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has some explaining to do. Will the swarm of scandal infect the White House and undermine the President’s second term (not to mention the Democrats’ hopes in 2014 and even 2016)? We’ll try to juggle all the political footballs when we see you at noon ET on msnbc.

PANEL

Howard Fineman, Editorial Director, Huffington Post Media/msnbc analyst (@howardfineman)

Karen Finney, Fmr. DNC Communications Director/msnbc Political Analyst (@finneyk)

Frank Foer, Editor, The New Republic (@franklinfoer)

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Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine (@jonathanchait)

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

GUEST

Ilyse Hogue, President, NARAL (@ilyseh)