WASHINGTON
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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April 12, 2026
The Dems’ Impeachment Containment Breach
For much of the past year, Democratic leaders have mostly kept a lid on threats by far-left members to impeach the president. Now, amid Trump’s unauthorized war in Iran and his increasingly erratic behavior, there’s resurgent talk of impeachment—even if it has zero chance of success.
Julia Ioffe
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April 9, 2026
Hegseth’s Pentagon Purge
Under the cover of the Iran war, Pete Hegseth moved to oust Army chief Randy George, a staunch ally of his archnemesis and untouchable Pentagon rival, Dan Driscoll. Was it a well-calculated plot, a sign of his juice, or maybe a signal that J.D. Vance has lost some of his foreign policy sway?
Julia Ioffe
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April 8, 2026
The Day After TACO Tuesday
A six-week, $40 billion war paused—sort of—in a self-declared U.S. victory. Except it left the Islamic Republic richer, more entrenched, and newly in control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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April 8, 2026
Dark Money for Soft Power
The Trumpily named Campaign for America First International Assistance hopes to sway conservative voters to support the kinds of programs gutted by Trump's DOGE.
John Heilemann
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April 8, 2026
Jacob’s Ladder
Long before his profane breakout moment after Renee Good’s killing, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was navigating the fault lines of policing, immigration, and the art of resisting federal power in the Trump era.
Peter Hamby
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April 7, 2026
Democrats Can Use YouTube, Too
The Democratic outside group Priorities USA is hoping to “take back the internet” by meeting young, politically checked-out swing voters where they are: guzzling sports clips on YouTube and commenting on video game streams. They’re starting with Ohio—and looking to ’28.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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April 6, 2026
A U.F.O. Frenzy & Senate Republicans’ Money Bomb
The truth is out there, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is demanding that the Pentagon release it.
Abby Livingston
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April 6, 2026
Did Trump Just Bail Out Newsom?
Democrats were headed for a potential jungle primary disaster in California, with nearly a dozen candidates splitting the gubernatorial vote to anoint Gavin Newsom’s successor. Then Trump waded into the race…
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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April 5, 2026
Crypto’s Midterm Open Marriage
Democrats have been quietly making amends with the industry after getting pummeled by pro-crypto super PACs in 2024. Meanwhile, crypto lobbyists are starting to hedge their bets as they contemplate a post-midterms landscape in which their G.O.P. allies are no longer in charge.
Peter Hamby
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April 2, 2026
Trump’s Katrina
The president has defied political gravity so many times that he’s often assumed to be invincible. But Trump’s Iran war is inescapable, his approval rating is plummeting—and his rambling White House address exposed that he’s less powerful than ever.
Leigh Ann Caldwell
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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
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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.
Julia Ioffe
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March 31, 2026
Trump’s Antifa Terror
Even as war rages across the Middle East, raising fears that Iran could activate sleeper cells in the U.S. and Europe, the Trump administration is quietly working to designate antifa as a top counterterrorism priority—despite the protestations of experts who say this is a pretext for targeting domestic dissent.
Abby Livingston
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March 30, 2026
The Mysteries of Spanberger
Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s mansion on a positive wave of bipartisanship that only an ex-C.I.A. Democratic representative could muster in a purple state. Now, just two months into her term, she finds herself waging a redistricting war and gambling her political capital on flipping congressional seats.
John Heilemann
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March 29, 2026
The Secret Iran Intel That Terrified Dems
Sen. Richard Blumenthal sits in classified briefings on the Iran war. But he says you don’t need a security clearance to see that Trump didn’t think this through—and that all signs point to a ground invasion.
Julia Ioffe
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March 26, 2026
Trump’s Endless War Games
Donald Trump’s so-called “military operation” against Iran is rapidly beginning to mirror Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine misadventure—overconfident, poorly planned, and sliding toward a drawn-out quagmire.
Peter Hamby
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March 24, 2026
The Democrats’ Trans Trap
Republicans are gleefully seizing on James Talarico’s “six sexes” comments while Trump warns darkly that Democrats want “transgender for everybody.” New polling suggests how the party can defuse the G.O.P.’s “they/them” playbook before it trips them up again in November.