Julia Ioffe • August 20, 2024

Casting Kamala’s Fantasy Cabinet

Despite Harris’s lack of a national security platform, Democrats are entering a new phase of feverish speculation surrounding who might be tapped to create, and execute, her foreign policy agenda.

Peter Hamby • August 20, 2024

Sweet Home Chicago

On the ground reporting, murmur-gathering, bed-wetting-compiling, euphoria-capturing, and tons of reality checks from the pol-delegate-operative-White House class at the dawn of the D.N.C. here in Chicago.

John Heilemann • August 19, 2024

The Biden-ing of Donald Trump

With the octogenarian incumbent out of the picture, Trump finds himself facing a less forgiving split screen opposite Kamala Harris—and a press corps finally starting to focus on his own cognitive decline. Can Team K turn the tables and do to Trump what Trump and his campaign did to Biden?

Tara Palmeri • August 16, 2024

Trump’s Magical History Tour

Under siege and self-sabotaging at his New Jersey golf club, Donald Trump is reaching for old familiar faces and enablers to imbue his flailing 2024 campaign with some 2016 magic: Corey Lewandowski, Tim Murtaugh, maybe Kellyanne. Who’s next, Roger Stone? Oh wait…

Julia Ioffe • August 14, 2024

Ukraine’s Guns of August

The surprise Kursk offensive caught Putin and the Russians off guard, but no one, not even the Ukrainians, seems to know what happens next. I spoke with military analyst Michael Kofman about Ukraine’s likely motives, the expected retaliation from Moscow, and where things go from here.

Peter Hamby • August 13, 2024

The Race to Define Kamala Harris

While the Harris campaign coasts on vibes and momentum, Republicans are sharpening new lines of attack on the economy and immigration. New polling shows Harris is particularly vulnerable on those two fronts—if Trump, the party’s least disciplined messenger, can effectively caricature her before she redefines herself.

Tara Palmeri • August 8, 2024

Can Kellyanne Go Home Again?

Amid the post-Biden Harris-Walzmentum, Trump is getting itchy for attention, and wondering if it’s time for a new voice on the campaign. Is Kellyanne Conway what he wants? Or needs?

Peter Hamby & John Heilemann • August 7, 2024

Wonder Walz

After tangoing with Shapiro, Kamala Harris is taking Mr. Minnesota Nice Guy to the big dance. Puck’s Peter Hamby and John Heilemann discuss why veep picks almost never make a difference—until they do.

Julia Ioffe • August 7, 2024

Putin’s Hostage Games

While the Americans released by Russia in last week’s prisoner swap celebrated their emancipation, the Kremlin set about carefully spinning the exchange as confirmation of their captives’ guilt, while also celebrating a political coup of their own.

Peter Hamby • August 6, 2024

Harris’s Three-Pronged Kryptonite

While Democrats celebrate their shiny new presumptive nominee, particularly on the eve of her veep selection, Kamala Harris still faces a trifecta of challenges that could turn today’s “irrational exuberance” into another 2016-style shocker. Herewith, the bear case for Harris…

John Heilemann • August 5, 2024

Harris’s Hot Streak & Team K’s To-Do List

With the Democratic convention two weeks out and the Labor Day kickoff of the fall campaign looming, Kamala Harris and her people have a jillion big decisions and tasks to tackle in no time flat. But three items on their punch list matter most of all: map, message, and running mate.

William D. Cohan • August 4, 2024

Charles in Charge

Charles Phillips, the former Morgan banker and Oracle co-president and Shari whisperer, is one of Kamala Harris’s oldest allies from the finance and tech world. We chatted about her evolution as a candidate, a fundraiser, and more.

Tara Palmeri • August 2, 2024

Turmoil in Trumpworld

Inside Mar-a-Lago, the return of 2016-style infighting is the latest symptom of a campaign on tilt, as an election that once felt like a layup devolves into a dogfight.

Tara Palmeri • July 31, 2024

Kamala’s Rust Belt Conversion & Shapiro Talk

A candid conversation with Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle about the merits of Josh Shapiro as V.P., and whether a candidate who flip-flopped on fracking can win “the Saudi Arabia of natural gas.”

Julia Ioffe • July 30, 2024

Harris’s Full Nelson

Washington is racing to suss out the foreign policy agenda of Kamala Harris, whom national security types view as a “blank slate.” The selection of a new advisor to lead her campaign’s policy team may provide some clues.