Get the inside conversation in your inbox
Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Julia Ioffe, Marianna Sotomayor, John Heilemann, & Abby Livingston
•
Sunday through Thursday
Puck’s daily political newsletter from Washington—featuring Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, John Heilemann, Julia Ioffe, Abby Livingston, and Marianna Sotomayor—on what’s really happening in this town, from the White House to the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, K Street, and the campaign trail.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
April 2, 2026
The G.O.P.’s Least Favorite Senator
Once it was Ted Cruz. Recently it's been Rand Paul. But Republican senators have a new least-popular member in their ranks.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
April 1, 2026
Pass the Mike
Speculation is building around who could replace Mike Johnson as Republicans’ leader in the House if and when the party finds itself in the minority. And there are already four names on the theoretical shortlist.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 22, 2026
The Other Sam in the Valley
Rep. Sam Liccardo, whose tech mogul district includes Palo Alto and Atherton, believes Democrats should embrace A.I.—within reason. Between the White House’s tech right bromance and Congress’s comical tech illiteracy, is there space for the party to address the anxiety and opportunity of the platform shift before the world moves on without them?
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 18, 2026
Markwayne’s World
A combative, law-and-order Trump loyalist with a steep learning curve on policy, Markwayne Mullin has leveraged his relationship with the president to rise from Oklahoma backbencher to Kristi Noem’s likely successor as secretary of Homeland Security.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 15, 2026
Dire Straits
On Capitol Hill, Republicans are projecting a united front in support of Trump’s war. But many of them fear rising gas prices in Peoria, not to mention dwindling munitions. And a number of them are trying to walk a line between supporting Trump and declaring mission accomplished.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 11, 2026
Katie Miller’s Solar Express
Renewable energy industry types are wondering why Stephen Miller’s wife seems to have developed a sudden interest in their field. Not that they’re complaining.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 8, 2026
The Dems Prepare to Stop the ’26 Steal
With Trump allies floating ideas ranging from strict voter ID mandates to declaring a national emergency to seize control of elections, Democrats are preparing for what they fear could be unprecedented federal intervention in the midterms.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 5, 2026
D.H.S. Regime Change & The Cruz–Hegseth War
News and notes on the defenestration of Kristi Noem, Ted Cruz’s beef with Pete Hegseth, and the self-deportation of Senator Steve Daines.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
March 4, 2026
J.D. Vance’s Private War
Everyone in town is talking about the latest oscillations of J.D. Vance, who once praised his boss’s decision to eschew unnecessary foreign conflicts before going all in on Yemen, Venezuela, and now Iran. Can he talk his way out of it before ’28?
Leigh Ann Caldwell
•
February 25, 2026
The Clinton–Epstein Legacy
The House Republican effort to depose Bill and Hillary Clinton over their Epstein ties continues their three-decade crusade to damage a Democratic royal couple. But the Clintons are well aware of the legal risks.
