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Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Julia Ioffe, Marianna Sotomayor, John Heilemann, & Abby Livingston
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Sunday through Thursday
Puck’s daily political newsletter from Washington—featuring Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Marianna Sotomayor, Julia Ioffe, John Heilemann, and Abby Livingston—on what’s really happening in this town, from the White House to the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, K Street, the campaign trail, and beyond.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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February 16, 2025
“Not the Time to Panic”
Hill Democrats aren’t just depressed about their lack of political power and direction. Privately, they wonder aloud how they’ve been swept up in a McCarthy-esque cultural purge. Rep. Adam Smith offers a slightly more constructive view.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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February 13, 2025
Trump’s Roy Problems
House Republicans have finally started to move on a budget bill that is expected to add trillions to the national debt. Now they must face down the usual right-flank hardliners and even contemplate the dreaded B-word (bipartisanship).
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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February 9, 2025
I’m That Mitch
Newly unencumbered by leadership responsibilities and party loyalties, Mitch McConnell is free to spoil nominations, torment his former tormentor, and defend against a new wave of isolationism. Could the most mischievous member of the Senate be the 82-year-old former leader who’s battling infirmity and, possibly, his own party?
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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February 6, 2025
The USAID Grenade
A longstanding tool of American foreign policy has practically collapsed in less than a week, and Republicans—who mostly declined a chance to partly defund it just a year ago—aren’t shedding any tears. Plus, notes on Marco Rubio’s staffing headaches at State.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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February 3, 2025
Survivor: Trump Cabinet Edition
News and notes on Tulsi Gabbard’s “rush job,” Kash Patel’s surprisingly strong showing, and R.F.K. Jr.’s knife’s edge.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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January 30, 2025
Endless Executive Time
Trump, as we’ve all figured out by now and as he’s previewed for months, is determined to test the limits of presidential power—and the other branches may be determined to let him.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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January 29, 2025
The O.M.B. Shocker & R.F.K. Jr.’s Confirmation Showdown
Inside reporting from Capitol Hill: the collective freak-out over the O.M.B. directive to suspend all federal grant programs, the abrupt resignation of Senate Democrat Gary Peters, and a preview of R.F.K. Jr.’s confirmation gauntlet.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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January 26, 2025
The Week & The Damned
Yes, one week into Trump’s new America, and House Republicans are giddy with opportunism and chants of unity, almost uniformly keeping their critiques of his January 6 pardons and 14th Amendment tinkering to themselves. But the beef over whether to pass Trump’s agenda in a single bill or two goes deeper than anyone realizes and threatens to upend more than a few news cycles.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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January 25, 2025
Why I Joined Puck
As a staffer to Harry Reid, I witnessed up close the transactional nature of political power—an education that I poured into my second career as a journalist. Now, as chief Washington correspondent for Puck, I’m delving deeper than ever into the (mostly) smokeless back rooms of the Hill, where the second Trump era will come alive.