WASHINGTON
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 29, 2025
To BBB or Not to Be
As Trump’s self-imposed July Fourth deadline approaches and the horse-trading continues, Republicans are starting to worry about the political ramifications of slashing Medicaid and running up the national debt as they rush to get the Big Beautiful Bill across the finish line—regardless of whether they support everything that’s in it.
Julia Ioffe
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June 26, 2025
The Truth About Obliterategate
The president rushed to insist on the complete and total success of his Iran strikes without waiting for a full assessment; his critics similarly rushed to declare he must be wrong. The reality is that the full picture will take time to emerge—but in the meantime, intelligence is being further politicized.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 25, 2025
Tim Kaine’s War on War Powers
As Dems struggle to unify on whether Trump should have attacked Iran, they’re lining up to criticize how he did it—without congressional approval or input. Senator Tim Kaine discusses his latest resolution to claw back congressional war powers, and why he feels it’s more important than ever.
Abby Livingston
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June 24, 2025
Miracle on the Potomac?
Republicans are bracing for an emergency landing of their Big Beautiful Bill, on or around the July Fourth holiday, whether they want it or not. It may not be pretty, but “it will pass,” a source close to G.O.P. leadership assured me—“one way or another.”
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 23, 2025
Handicapping the House Oversight Food Fight
A generational battle will be fought on Tuesday as Democrats vote for the next head of the Oversight Committee, the powerful launchpad for Democratic investigations, potential impeachments, and career advancement, of course. Here’s how insiders are ranking the candidates before voting commences.
Leigh Ann Caldwell & Julia Ioffe
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June 22, 2025
Trump’s Iran Warpath & D.C. Aftershocks
The latest political intelligence and national security chatter surrounding the U.S. bombing of Iran, the president’s neocon turn, the mental gymnastics of the MAGA base, and the response in Washington, 24 hours later.
Julia Ioffe
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June 19, 2025
Inside Bibi’s Trump–Iran Psyop
An apparent Israeli campaign to credit Trump for the attack on Iran, and to flatter the president into joining the war, has met internal resistance and plenty of eye-rolling in the national security world. Still, there’s no question that Bibi knows how to play his counterpart—and that the American president is uniquely susceptible to ego stroking.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 18, 2025
Trump’s BBB Black Book
The president is strategically withholding endorsements for senators who may need them to hold on to their seats. But would he risk losing the Republican majority—and face very real political consequences himself—for the sake of spite?
John Heilemann
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June 17, 2025
Homeland Insecurities
A bracing conversation with former D.H.S. secretary Jeh Johnson about the realities of mass deportation, Trump sending troops to L.A., the handcuffing of Senator Alex Padilla, and America “being pushed to a breaking point.”
Abby Livingston
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June 16, 2025
D.C.’s Stock Trading Epidemic
Senate Democrats (and a few Republicans) are reviving efforts to ban stock trading by members of Congress—a surprisingly complex issue with bad actors on both sides of the aisle.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 15, 2025
Trump’s A.I. Contradictions
On his first full day in office, Trump convened tech leaders to launch an A.I. initiative to boost adoption and compete with China. But his one legislative agenda—the massive spending bill now with the Senate—leaves the U.S. profoundly vulnerable to A.I.’s social and economic disruptions.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 12, 2025
Warning Schatz
A wide-ranging conversation with Senator Brian Schatz about Trump deploying troops to Los Angeles, the dangerous rhetoric of “invasion,” the trouble with the Big Beautiful Bill, and how to un-DOGE America.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 11, 2025
The Invisible Fetterman
The arc of the formerly progressive senator’s career has bent more and more toward the right, and away from his own party. Would he actually jump ship?
Julia Ioffe
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June 10, 2025
A Musk in Moscow & Hegseth’s War at Home
News and notes on the fears of the professional class in Washington: the military mobilization in L.A., impending layoffs at State, and the curious saga of Elon Musk’s father in Moscow.
Abby Livingston
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June 9, 2025
Mike Johnson’s Blood Sacrifice
The Big Beautiful Bill will likely return to the House with cuts to the SALT deduction that blue-state Republicans can’t stomach—forcing them to decide between aggravating Trump or their constituents, with the fate of the G.O.P. majority on the line.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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June 8, 2025
The Great Congressional Cutoff
The “most transparent administration in history” has choked off the information flow down Pennsylvania Avenue, doling out intel as a reward to allies while staying mostly mum about what’s happening at USAID, or even who’s running the C.D.C.
Julia Ioffe
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June 5, 2025
State of Play
Once upon a time, State Department officials would register dissent by writing a memo, or even resigning in protest. But what good would that do under Trump, where debate is squashed, and 20 percent of the agency is about to be laid off?