07/02/25 Carveouts and Cop-Outs: Murkowski’s Agonizing Sellout

Lisa Murkowski called her vote “agonizing”—and then cast it anyway. After extracting carveouts to shield Alaska from the most brutal parts of the Senate’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Murkowski admitted the rest of the country might not be so lucky. Critics called it cowardice wrapped in parochial politics. We unpack how Murkowski’s dealmaking exposes the deep cracks in the GOP coalition, why the bill may stall in the House, and why Trump still wants a July 4th signing spectacle—even if it smells like corruption (and his new cologne).