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WASHINGTON

Prigozhin was an insider, somebody who existed entirely within the system of power that Putin built.

Prigozhin’s Treason & The Price of Betrayal

Putin’s inner circle has always abided by an unwritten code—“ponyatie,” or understandings—about the rewards of loyalty and the fate of traitors. Prigozhin, lured into thinking that he might be special, was never an exception.
Julia Ioffe • August 23, 2023
Abby Livingston • August 23, 2023
The Hollywood Money Race & Slotkin’s Surge
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: 2023 J.J. Abrams, Katie McGrath arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
A who’s who of Hollywood donations to congressional candidates, plus updates on the formidable Slotkin campaign.
Julia Ioffe • August 23, 2023
War & Profit
The ruble’s troubles in recent weeks are just the most obvious indicator that all isn’t totally well under that glittery façade.
Inside Moscow, the war economy is booming: restaurants are packed, businesses have pivoted to Asia, and, somehow, elites are richer than ever. But with prices rising and the ruble plummeting, insiders worry the good times are a mirage.
Despite enduring months of bad headlines, Ron DeSantis appears to have put his supposed death march on pause.
Peter Hamby • August 21, 2023
Down But Not Out in Iowa
Scenes from the State Fair, where Vivek is the new Buttigieg, DeSantis keeps getting friend-zoned, the Trump-Scott ticket is a veritable conservative fantasy, and voters are decidedly undecided ahead of this week’s G.O.P. debate.
If anything, what the indictments truly emphasize is that Trump was never a solo act.
Baratunde Thurston • August 20, 2023
Trump Fatigue & The Slow Arc of Justice
A fourth indictment of the former president doesn’t appear to be moving the needle on public opinion. But it is finally providing an accounting, if not accountability, of Trump’s most pernicious crimes.
The fixation on Casey DeSantis speaks to the question of how much power the DeSantis name and brand maintains in Florida.
Tara Palmeri • August 18, 2023
Imagining “Jillary” DeSantis
As Ron DeSantis’s national campaign sags, the term-limited governor’s next political steps are under increased scrutiny. In Tallahassee, some are already considering the possibility of a third term—with Casey as governor.
The deck seems stacked against Ron DeSantis, who has the most to prove, and the most to lose.
Tina Nguyen • August 16, 2023
Is DeSantis ’28 Already Toast?
As Milwaukee beckons, big questions loom: Will Trump and Tucker counterprogram the stage? Is Vivek really a MAGA player? And is DeSantis truly cooked—not just this time around, but for the next cycle, too?
Julia Ioffe • August 16, 2023
Biden & Putin’s Nuclear Blurred Lines
There is now a clear consensus that the White House sees the risk of Putin going nuclear as lower today than even a few months ago, encouraging Biden officials to tacitly approve Ukrainian tactics that they once feared would trigger a counterattack on NATO, or worse.
Biden understands he doesn’t need the media as much as they think he does.
Peter Hamby • August 14, 2023
Biden’s Orchestra Pit Paradox
For Biden to win again, he must reach people who aren’t just news junkies, and his advisers are unapologetic about the importance of going around the Washington press to do it, their egos be damned.
James Uthmeier and Ryan Tyson are trusted Ron DeSantis loyalists, suggesting once again that the key qualification to lead the DeSantis campaign is fidelity to Ron and Casey.
Tara Palmeri • August 10, 2023
Make Jeff Roe Great Again
The mega-consultant, currently ensconced at DeSantis’ super PAC, will now have a loyal and telekinetic deputy acting as de facto campaign manager and Tallahassee daycare operator. Is this just the first step before Roe starts calling all the shots, himself?
In the MAGA-fied G.O.P., Frank Luntz has found himself on the outside for criticizing Trump and Trumpism, as well as for trying to prop up the conservative principles that once defined the party.
Tina Nguyen • August 9, 2023
The Passion of the Luntz
The legendary G.O.P. pollster apostate discusses the party’s latest apocalyptic turns: the martyrdom of Mike Pence, why voters are souring on DeSantis, and whether Tim Scott (or Joe Manchin!) can win Iowa.
So far, it seems, M.B.S.’s diplomatic gambit is paying off.
Julia Ioffe • August 9, 2023
The Treaty of M.B.S.
The man who allegedly ordered the murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and whose country Biden once labeled “a pariah,” is now convening the most plausible talks on ending the war in Ukraine. There are all kinds of ways to launder your image: sports-washing, green-washing, and now, diplo-washing.
Until somewhat recently, even Tim Scott could only guess what Larry Ellison’s total pledge might be.
Theodore Schleifer • August 8, 2023
Larry Ellison’s Eight-Figure Anti-Trump Dowry
From the start, Ellison stood alone in his unwavering support for Tim Scott. Now, a still-secret eight-figure check promises to turn the candidate into a Late Stage DeSantis alternative for the Wall Street and Silicon Valley crowd.
New data suggests Iowa Republicans aren’t ready to let Trump coast to the nomination just yet.
Peter Hamby • August 7, 2023
The G.O.P.’s Field of Dreams
The bull case for overcoming Trump begins with winning Iowa, consolidating the vote, and then carrying momentum through the primary. But posing with butter sculptures and eating deep-fried Oreos isn’t what it used to be.
Despite Biden’s accomplishments and the diligence of his team to keep the media on message, politics is a profession that rewards operatives for preserving optionality.
Tara Palmeri • August 3, 2023
The Biden Edge Case
Yes, of course, Biden is running for re-election. But national politics is a viper’s nest that requires ambitious putative candidates to prepare for even unthinkable, Murphy’s Law-style outcomes. So, what happens if Biden unexpectedly decides to bow out? Exploring D.C.’s increasingly popular hypothetical question.
The DeSantis campaign can fire as many people and hit as many reset buttons as they’d like, but DeSantis campaign watchers are pessimistic that things will improve unless the attitude at the very top changes.
Tina Nguyen • August 2, 2023
The Closing of the Florida Mind
The DeSantis campaign was supposed to be executing the “reset” it promised donors after weeks of gut-punch headlines. Instead he’s spending his time talking about purging the Justice Department—and still getting labeled a squish. Can anyone but Casey reach him?
The idea of having a legally codified security relationship with Ukraine—a close partner, but not a treaty ally—is now official U.S. policy.
Julia Ioffe • August 2, 2023
The Ukraine “Israel Model” & Its Discontents
The goal of institutionalizing the flow of aid to Ukraine wasn’t simply about creating predictability. It was also about Trump-proofing foreign policy.
Eriq Gardner • July 31, 2023
Trump Has Subpoenaed Fox News for Tucker’s Unaired Jan. 6 Interview
The former president is demanding the network turn over footage and communications that he could use to defend himself against a civil lawsuit from police officers who blame him for the Capitol riot.