Julia Ioffe • August 14, 2025

Anchorage Man

Putin is swaggering into his meeting with Trump, brimming with arrogance as state propaganda hammers the idea that Russia is on the cusp of victory. As one person close to Putin told me, however, there’s a case for cautious optimism that the summit in Alaska could be the beginning of the war’s end.

John Heilemann • August 12, 2025

Trump Term-Limit Fears & Lingering Epstein Anxieties

In a recent conversation, California congressman and rising Democratic star Robert Garcia sounded the alarm on gerrymandering, discussed the need to keep Epstein front and center, and placed rectitude aside in favor of #RealTalk.

Abby Livingston • August 11, 2025

Epstein Recess Theories

Republicans fled D.C. early for August recess to avoid votes on releasing the Epstein files. But the issue has been waiting for at least some of them in their home districts—and will be unavoidable when they return to town in September.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • August 10, 2025

John Cornyn’s Moment of Truth

The Cornyn campaign is at a critical juncture as the Texas senator falls behind A.G. Ken Paxton in the state’s Republican primary, hurting his chances at clinching an endorsement from Trump. But Paxton may actually need Cornyn to improve in the polls to keep other challengers at bay…

Leigh Ann Caldwell • August 10, 2025

The Gospel According to Buck

A lively conversation with Brendan Buck, the former top G.O.P. aide turned strategist, about the new risk calculus on Capitol Hill and whether Congress is edging closer to abdicating its powers to the White House.

Julia Ioffe • August 7, 2025

The Coming MAGA Israel Battle

Like the Democrats before them, the empowered MAGA movement finds itself fighting over U.S. support for Israel, with some of its loudest voices questioning a once sacrosanct relationship.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • August 6, 2025

The Emancipation of M.T.G.

The MAGA congresswoman has made a career out of defending Trump. But lately she’s started to break with the president she still calls her favorite. Are her followers still with her?

John Heilemann • August 5, 2025

Detoxifying the Democratic Brand

A pair of increasingly influential inside-game Dems are trying to cure what ails their party by looking beyond the Beltway and way downballot—to the blue team’s signs of life in the nation’s state legislatures.

Abby Livingston • August 4, 2025

The Texas Redistricting Butterfly Effect

Washington insiders worry that Trump’s push to slice up the Texas congressional map could destabilize politics nationwide, sparking an arms race that pits members against members, makes it easier to topple incumbents… and placing Capitol Hill at the mercy of state legislators with their own agendas.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • August 4, 2025

Senate Pre-Recess Shutdown Jitters

What should have been a routine nominations agreement before the August recess has spiraled into a bitter standoff between Trump, Thune, and Schumer. Now the stage is set for a bruising fall showdown over confirmations, foreign aid, and government funding—with a shutdown increasingly likely.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • August 3, 2025

Josh Hawley Takes Stock

Congress’s latest, inevitably futile ritual of attempting to ban its own members from trading stocks was particularly explosive this time around, after the president erupted at Sen. Josh Hawley over a perceived threat to his own bottom line. And yet, the latest effort may present even bigger hurdles.

Julia Ioffe • July 31, 2025

Lew’s Clues

Lew Olowski, the State Department’s newish head of H.R., is a RIF-happy, Christian evangelizing MAGA warrior with an axe to grind. Worse, according to his fellow diplomats, he’s just plain weird.

Leigh Ann Caldwell • July 30, 2025

Is Schumer a Flip-Phone Guy in an A.I. World?

The Senate Democratic leader is facing down the prospect of another government funding fight before he’s even recovered from the last one. This time, he’s trying to get ahead of it—but some in his caucus have other ideas.

John Heilemann • July 29, 2025

Maggie on Trump’s Epsteinitis

A conversation with Times White House correspondent and presiding Trumpologist Maggie Haberman about the acute political ailment afflicting the president—and why he’s finding it so difficult to shake.

Abby Livingston • July 28, 2025

The 2024 Donor Hangover

Democrats have had a sluggish start to fundraising for the midterms amid the party’s lingering post-election identity crisis. And yet, there are emerging signs that angry donors who swore off giving are slowly overcoming their trust issues and returning to the fold.